


Stars Hollow: The Next Generation

by Ultra



Series: The Runaways 'Verse [3]
Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: F/M, Family, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Future Fic, Gen, High School, Love, Romance, Teenage Drama, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-30
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-04-24 03:58:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 46
Words: 125,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4904719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ultra/pseuds/Ultra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Sequel to 'The Runaways' and 'Our Little Corner of the World) The next generation of Stars Hollow teens are living their lives, experiencing love and loss, and just trying to get through the day! Join Jack & Tori Mariano, Billy Danes, the Van Gerbig twins, and the Bellville clan as they navigate high school and all that entails!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t usually believe in giving great long character lists at the start of a fic, but on the occasion, I just want to run down who’s who and how old as we start the story on 5th Jan. 2022! So here goes, parents followed by kids, with ages:  
> * Rory & Jess - Jack (16) and Tori (14)  
> * Luke & Lorelai - Billy (14)  
> * Sookie & Jackson - Davey (18), Martha (16), and Jaime (14)  
> * Lane & Zach - Steve & Kwan (14)  
> There will be other kids too, but they’ll be explained as we go along.  
> Finally, you will notice some of this chapter (and the next when we get there) is kind of familiar. I’m using chunks of Our Little Corner of the World #13 to get things started.

“I guess high school is okay. We’ve reached the point now where everybody knows I’m the kid that skipped a grade in middle school. I get so bored telling that story, and I know what you’re thinking ‘Tori, you should be proud of yourself’, and I am, honestly, it’s just... I don’t know how to explain it. Sometimes I just feel like everybody is staring at me, and I hate it. Other times it’s like I’m invisible and I hate that too. Mom says it’s all part of being a teenager. Grandma Lorelai always agrees with her, so I guess it must be true. Dad just tells me to keep on keeping on, don’t let the... people get me down. Well, you and I both know he doesn’t always say people, but I swear if I cuss even this far from home somehow Grandpa Luke will find out and there’d be H-E-double hockey sticks to pay.

Maybe it’s just that everybody seems to have something that they do, that they love and are really good at. I’m good at a lot of school stuff, but none of it exactly thrills me. There’s other stuff I like but... I don’t know. It’s dumb.

Well, I guess I should go. Grandma Lorelai is expecting me at the Dragonfly, help her out with the filing for some extra to add to the allowance. I’ll be around again soon, Mrs R.”

Tori Mariano levered herself up off the ground, kissing her hand and placing it on the headstone a moment. She gave a small smile to the sky as she hefted her school bag back onto her shoulder and headed off. Maybe it seemed weird to some people that a fourteen year old girl would want to come to the grave of a woman that wasn’t actually related to her and tell all her stories and secrets, but it was perfectly reasonable to Tori.

It wasn’t as if she didn’t have anybody else to talk to. Tori had a brother, parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and more aunts, uncles, and cousins than she could count, though most were not related to her by blood. She didn’t lack for company at all, but sometimes it was nice to be alone with just Mrs Rossini for company. She didn’t answer what Tori said, but then even in life she had been such a great listener. Mrs R knew she didn’t necessarily need to give clever replies, she just had to be there. Tori believed Mrs R was still there for her, even now. Not in the mortal world, but somewhere, watching out for them all. It made her feel better about the loss of her honorary great grandma, who had been gone more than two years now.

Heading further into the town square, Tori crossed the street to the diner. As always, Grandpa Luke was behind the counter serving customers, and Billy was helping out by bussing tables while he waited for his dad. As soon as Tori walked in, Billy went over to the counter and served up a sweet treat for his friend, who was also technically his niece.

“You’re giving me a doughnut?” she asked as she hopped up onto a stool. “You? The same guy who lectures us all on the evils of sugar whilst crunching down on carrot sticks to the point where you make Bugs Bunny nauseous?”

“Sugar’s fine in moderation,” Billy reminded her too seriously. “Besides, you seem down today.”

Tori smiled at the fact he had noticed. Billy was that kind of the guy, mostly quiet and seemingly uninterested in what was going on in everybody else’s lives, but he noticed things, he was always watching out for those he cared for. He was a lot like his father that way, though usually less grumpy.

“I’m fine,” said Tori, taking a big bite out her doughnut, sending a shower of rainbow sprinkles onto the plate below. “I guess it’s just the whole going back to school thing. Winter break is always too much fun.”

Billy nodded his understanding but his attention was soon taken by his father. Luke was pretty strict about studying and a good work ethic in general. It seemed he was switching shifts with Jess in the next five minutes and ensuring Billy came straight home with him so he could get to his homework already.

“I’m all for you helping out here, learning the ropes of the diner and earning some extra cash, but this is Freshman year in high school and a crucial time for you,” said Luke definitely.

“Tori’s a Freshman too,” said Billy grumpily as he moved to pick up his books and jacket from the end of the counter.

“Tori is a grade ahead of everybody else her age,” Luke reminded his son smartly. “And we’re very proud of her,” he said to Tori herself.

“We aim to please,” she grinned around a mouthful of doughnut. “Seriously though, thanks, Grandpa Luke,” she told him then. “I’m just trying to do my best.”

“That’s all I ask of anybody. Unfortunately, Billy would rather give a hundred and ten percent to football and waiting tables than to English and Math,” he said rather loudly so his son couldn’t miss the comment.

Tori hid a smirk in her snack and finished it off fast. If her mouth was full of food it couldn’t be too smart and make Luke mad, something her own father was still too good at sometimes. Tori had been told more than once that she had Jess’ smart-alec tendencies. She ought to feel bad about that, but actually she loved it. Her dad was just the coolest of all the fathers she ever met, and that was the truth. Of course, talking to him had gotten a little tougher lately. She had yet to figure out quite why that was.

“Hey, Grandpa Luke?” she said when a thought hit her. “You think you could drop me off at the Dragonfly on your way home? Please? I’m supposed to be helping out there for a couple of hours and toting this bag is killing my posture.”

“Sure, no problem, kid,” Luke assured her, hustling Billy to head out and warm up the truck, and to take Tori with him.

They got outside just as Jess arrived at the diner.

“Hey, kids. Good first day back?” he checked.

“Not bad,” Billy smiled, spinning Luke’s keys on his finger as he went to get into the truck.

“Tor?” Jess prompted a response from her when none came. “You okay?”

“Peachy keen,” she said with a smile her father recognised as forced.

“Hey, don’t give me that crap, kid. I invented it,” he reminded her. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” She shook her head. “Honestly, Dad, I’m fine. I just... I don’t know. Having one of those days.” 

Jess frowned a little at that. Tori seemed to be having a lot of ‘those days’ lately and Jess couldn’t quite figure out why. Rory said it was most likely to do with being a girl and growing up, all those teenage hormones and body changes. He knew well enough that was true for both genders, even if he didn’t know all the intimate details of the female experience and never wanted to. It was tough enough being a father to a teenage boy sometimes, but to a girl it was that much harder. Tori didn’t want to be Jess’ little girl anymore, but at barely fourteen she wasn’t old enough to be a woman yet either. Sometimes Jess thought this was as difficult for him as it was for her.

“Okay,” he said eventually. “Well, I guess I know what it is to be a teenager having ‘those days’.”

“You can remember that far back?” she asked him with a smirk that was way too much like looking in a mirror.

“Beat it before I change my mind and decide that’s not too smart to be punishable,” he warned her, trying his best not to laugh.

Tori literally ran to the truck in mock-terror, laughing all the way. Her life didn’t suck, she knew that, and she would never suggest she was in any way hard done by. Sometimes she just felt like she was missing something, or something was missing her. It didn’t make sense and she knew it, but that was how she felt. It didn’t mean she was depressed or even unhappy most of the time. She just felt a little out of it some days. Perhaps it was just the transition to high school and puberty and all that stuff. Maybe everybody felt like this at her age. Tori wasn’t absolutely sure, but she had a feeling Grandma Lorelai would understand, because she usually did. On the off-chance that she didn’t, she could always supply chocolate and hugs, so there was no bad.

* * *

“Hey, Moonbrain!” said Jess more loudly, lightly tapping Jack upside his head.

His son reacted suddenly, looking over with surprise. He clearly hadn’t even realised he had zoned out, ignoring his father who had probably been talking to him this whole time.

“Sorry,” he apologised. “Er, what did I miss?”

Jess tilted his head a little as he stared at his son. Something was going on here, something not normal. First he had Tori acting weird and now Jack. The difference was, Tori seemed to have a pattern lately of being quiet and not quite herself, which Rory put down to ‘girl changes’ and a new school. Jack was different. He got thoughtful. He had a tendency towards the brooding thing that Jess allowed to happen to himself at times, but that only lasted so long before he turned into the male incarnation of Rory. Jack would start by asking one or both of his parents their opinion on a topic, and then give his own ideas quickly and relentlessly, rationalising away the problem before either Rory or Jess really got a chance to assist. This was different, this wasn’t some unknown issue that would come out later. Jess knew that look his son was wearing, he remembered it very well from his own teenage years.

“What’s her name?” he asked with a smirk that was hard to repress.

“Huh? Who are we talking about?”

“Seriously? You’re gonna do that fake dumb thing that you couldn’t pull off if your life depended on it?” asked Jess, moving down the counter to pour coffee into empty cups of other patrons, working his way back towards Jack. “C’mon, just tell me the name of the girl that has your brain so busy, because if you don’t, I will tell all the women in this family to bug you until you cave. You really think the Mom-Grandma-Sister tag team is preferable to talking to me?”

Jack let out a heavy sigh and added an eye-roll for good measure. He really didn’t want to admit that he may yet have discovered love at first sight today, but when the new girl walked into English class and smiled in his general direction, Jack lost all sense of reason. She had been on his mind all day whether she was within staring distance or not, and Jack wasn’t sure how this had happened to him so fast.

“It’s not just that she’s beautiful, which she is,” he said before anything else, speaking in a low voice as he and his father leaned across the counter towards each other, mindful of all the ever-alert ears in the Hollow. “The teacher called on her a couple of times in class and she gave these really deep answers, and she completely tied Mr Kuroda in knots with her theory on the character’s motivation, it was awesome.”

“So she’s smart and she’s hot,” Jess nodded approvingly. “I know the type,” he said definitely, thinking of Rory but giving no indication of that.

It might freak Jack out just a little too much to realise he was fast falling for a girl that was quite similar to his own mother. Jess would be a little weirded out himself if not for the fact he already knew very well how many similarities he and Jack shared. Such was the way with fathers and sons sometimes.

“It’s more than that,” Jack insisted. “I mean, there a lot of hot girls at SHH, but Alison is... She’s really beautiful.”

Jess bit back another smirk and just nodded that he understood. This really was a big deal if the word ‘beautiful’ was being thrown around. Jack wasn’t exactly a horn dog, not like his buddy Alex who had been on heat since puberty hit, and it had come just as early as it could to that boy. Jack was more subtle, but he noticed girls well enough, and he knew what it meant for a female of the species to be attractive, just as all guys did. Beautiful was different. Beautiful was for a woman you cared about rather than one you’d like to meet under the bleachers to make out. In terms of Jess’ experience, Alison seemed to be a Rory rather than a Shane.

“So she’s beautiful, she has brains, and she’s named after a Costello song,” Jess summarised whilst wiping down the counter, gesturing for Jack to bus the nearest table whilst he was waxing lyrical on the wonderful Alison. “No wonder you like this chick.”

“Dad! She’s not a chick, she’s... different. Special,” he said definitely.

“Like stop eating the paste special?” he checked jokingly.

Jack was not impressed.

“Like I think I’m in love special,” he blurted out, much to the surprise of not just Jess but himself too. “But I’m probably not.”

Jess opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again fast. Falling in love was something that some teenagers did every week of their lives. They thought they were in love with movie stars, musicians, those people who were famous just for being famous which Jess never quite understood, or they picked a different person at their school to fawn over until they got bored and shifted onto the next.

There were crushes, there was dating, but genuine love was rare as gold dust. Jess should know. Of all the girls that passed through his life, there was only one who ever had his heart, the same one he had married and made two babies with. Jack wasn’t the type to think he was in love unless he was. He had the heart of a poet and the brains of a genius, plus more good sense than Jess ever possessed when he was a teen. If Jack thought he was in love at barely sixteen, then there was a good chance he was. This could get messy.

The bell jingled over the door and Miss Patty walked in, gossiping already with Babette at her side. Jess shook his head and turned to glance at Jack. The kid already had his books piled up and his bag thrown on his shoulder. His butt was up off the stool before his father could speak at all.

“I’ll see you at home, Dad,” he said and then he was gone.

Jess blinked and then turned to the two women who replaced Jack at the counter.

“Ladies, what I can get you?” he offered with a winning smile.

“Was it something we said, sugar?” asked Babette, hiking her thumb back towards the door through which Jack had hastily passed.

“Nah, he’s just got a lot on his mind. Homework and stuff,” he half-lied. “Now, what’s your pleasure?” he tried again to take their order.

“Oh, Jess, honey, rephrase the question, please!” Miss Patty urged him, leaning all over the counter. “The thoughts in my head are positively sinful right now,” she told him as her eyes raked over his body.

“Still married, Patty,” he reminded her with a grin, tapping the ring on his finger for emphasis. “But if Rory ever lets me off the leash, you’ll be the first to know.”

“You bad boy!” the dance teacher told him with a girlish giggle that really didn’t belong to a woman of her advancing years, but that never stopped her before.

She and Babette ordered their food then, and Jess busied himself with getting the coffees to go along with. He had his back to his patrons, not paying a heck of a lot of attention to what was being said. Still, it was hard to ignore Babette and Patty when they were in full flow, they were never exactly quiet about their gossip.

“I heard she’s a real beauty, tall too, like her father,” said the blonde. “’Course I also heard she had smarts. No offence to the parents, but where in the heck did the brains come from?”

“Well, not everything is about genetics, honey,” her friend told her. “And I don’t think she was especially dumb. Taking him back after what he did wasn’t the smartest move, but they seem to have done okay since the whole leaving town thing.”

“Y’know why they came back? ‘Cause East Side Tilly said she was told it had to do with his parents, that maybe his father was sick?”

“Oh, that’s just awful!”

“Here you go, ladies,” said Jess as he turned and presented Babette and Patty with their drinks. “Food will just be a few minutes.”

“Thank you, darling” said Patty with a smile. “Well now, you see just about everything from behind this counter, Jess. Have you seen anything of your old adversary yet?”

“My what now?” he asked, feeling a little confused.

“Dean Forester, sugar,” said Babette, loud and blunt as ever. “Y’know him and Lindsay moved back to town all sudden and everything, with a teenage daughter in tow. She started Stars Hollow High just today. Did Jack mention any new girls at all?”

Jess wasn’t sure what it felt like to have a heart attack or a stroke for that matter, and yet he was pretty sure in this moment he was having one or the other, quite possibly both at once. The blood rushed and pounded in his ears, so loud that he could barely hear what Babette was saying anymore. Shaking himself out of a momentary haze, Jess refocused his eyes and forced himself to form words.

“You know the girl’s name?” he checked, trying to sound as calm and cool as he usually would be, even though he felt anything but.

“Oh, that I do know,” said Patty easily. “Alison Jane Forester” she said proudly.

After the first three syllables had left her lips, Jess’ legs were already in motion. He was over by the door in the fewest number of strides possible, opening it up and announcing that the diner was closing - now!

“But, sugar, we didn’t even get our order yet...” Babette began to complain.

Jess would not be moved. He apologised, said they would open up again just as soon as possible, and that Miss Patty and Babette would get whatever they wanted on the house, but for now he really had to close. Getting home and talking to his wife was priority one.


	2. Chapter 2

“Rory!” 

She physically jumped when her name was called and the front door slammed in the wake of her husband’s entrance. Rory wasn’t sure what was going on but Jess wasn’t due home yet, in fact he only took over from Luke at the diner an hour ago. Plus he did not sound happy at all. With Tori helping out at the inn, and Jack having texted not long ago to say he was studying over at Alex’s house, neither of them could really be the cause for Jess’ concern. Rory abandoned her laptop in the bedroom, tossing her glasses onto the desk before pelting down the stairs.

“What’s happening? Where’s the fire?” she asked Jess as she found him searching the lower level of the house for her.

“You know who’s back in town?” he asked, meeting her at the foot of the stairs.

Rory felt herself wince, giving away the fact she knew just exactly what Jess was talking about.

“Yeah, I did hear a little something,” she admitted, one hand to her head as she anticipated an explosion. “Starts with F, ends in orrester?”

“Give my wife a coconut,” said Jess, dead-pan as ever, before letting out a long breath and turning away from her.

Rory knew he said ‘my wife’ on purpose. He could’ve used a myriad of other terms, but no, on this occasion Jess was doing what all men were want to do when they felt threatened - mark their territory. Rory frowned some when she realised how gross that sounded in her own head, but she didn’t mean it in the literal way that other mammals had of making things clearly their own. Guys were sensitive about both things and people they saw as belonging to them. Rory didn’t take offence at the fact because she new full well Jess didn’t really think he owned her. He was possessive though, in a way that she actually quite liked most of the time. It was nice to feel that wanted and needed, even after so many years married. The fact they were still together and happy ought to prove the solidity of their marriage. Rory couldn’t imagine why the return of Dean, and by extension Lindsay, had Jess so riled up.

“This doesn’t really affect us, right?” she said, reaching a hand out to his shoulder, encouraging her husband to turn around. “Jess, it’s been twenty years since that particular triangle got all figured out.”

“Sure,” he nodded his agreement as he faced her. “Now fasten your seatbelt because the next bumpy ride just got started. You seen Jack today?”

“Not since he left for school this morning,” admitted Rory with a shake of her head. “He text a few minutes ago, said he was studying at Alex’s house, but he’d be home for dinner. Why? What’s wrong?”

“You didn’t hear the best part yet,” he told her, taking a breath, putting his hands to Rory’s waist as he met her eyes. “The Jolly Green Giant and his doting wife made themselves a pretty little princess. Age of fifteen, answers to the name of Alison.”

“Okay...” Rory nodded along, so far still not seeing where they were going here.

“Jack just told me he’s in love.”

“In love?” she echoed, eyes widening. “Not with... Oh God!” she gasped with sudden and overwhelming realisation. “That’s... Of all the people in the world?!” she exclaimed.

Jess was glad to see he wasn’t the only one that had a problem with this whole situation. After all, he knew he had a habit of over-reacting sometimes and Rory was usually the calming, sensible influence that stopped him from flying off the handle. On this occasion at least Jess and Rory were on the same page - this little revelation meant trouble.

“Tell me about it. ‘Cause what would really improve my life ten-fold is playing happy families with your twelve foot tall ex,” he said with a heavy sigh of defeat.

There was no easy way out of this, not if Jack was serious about the feelings he already had for Alison Forrester.

“Well, maybe it won’t come to that,” Rory suggested hopefully. “I mean, who falls in love after one look at a girl when they’re sixteen?”

Jess raised an eyebrow as he shot her a significant look.

“You know that one you like to use ‘like father, like son’?” he reminded her.

Rory winced.

“Yeah,” she nodded then, moving to hug Jess tight. “This is going to be awkward, isn’t it?”

There was no answer to be given, mostly because Rory already knew she was right. Of all the people in all the world for Jack to get his first crush on and he chose Dean and Lindsay’s daughter. Hopefully it was just a passing fancy, but if not, there was no doubting that life just got a whole lot more complicated than ever before.

* * *

“Hey, guys! Sounds great!” said Martha in the doorway to the Van Gerbigs' garage, applauding with genuine enthusiasm.

“Thanks, Mar.” Kwan smiled, pulling the bass strap over his head. “It’ll sound better when we get a real drummer,” he told her, switching off the machine.

“Well, I still think you’re awesome,” Martha assured him and the rest of the band.

It was an odd mix of people. Whilst Kwan sang as well as playing bass, Gil’s daughter, Shelly, played axe just like her dad had done for Hep Alien back in the day. She was also the oldest member of Anarchy’s Child, as Gil had been, being as she was twenty three and grown, whilst the boys were only high school Freshmen. The group was rounded out by Peter, whose family lived next door to the Van Gerbigs. He played both rhythm guitar and keyboards, as required. All the band really needed was a drummer, and that was a slightly awkward topic. Steve ought to be filling that role, and had taken lessons from Lane since he was a kid. Unfortunately, he had given up music a long time ago now and no amount of coaxing would bring him back to his instrument. It was just about the only thing the twins ever fought about.

“Did you just come to hear us play?” Kwan asked Martha then.

“Yes and no,” she replied awkwardly. “Mostly no,” she admitted at last. “I wondered if Jack was here?”

“Haven’t seen him,” her friend told her, shaking his head. “If he’s not at home or at the diner, most likely he’s at Alex’s place.”

“You’re probably right” she agreed, moving as if to walk away before changing her mind. “One more question, have your parents mentioned a family named Forester at all? I only ask because...”

“Because Jack has a crush on the new girl in school?” said Lane, appearing behind her and making Martha visibly jump. “Sorry, honey. I was just bringing out snacks and I overheard,” she explained, putting down a tray on the nearest surface - Peter and Shelley headed straight for the refreshments. “You know how Stars Hollow is with the gossip mill.”

“Except this time I seem to be missing some info,” said Martha worriedly. “And since it concerns my best friend, I kinda wish I knew what to expect.”

Lane looked troubled. Gossiping about her friends business did not thrill her at all, but it would be just as bad to tell the kids she knew nothing when she obviously did. Rory was going to have to tell Jack and Tori the truth anyway, and from there all of the rest of the extended family would find out. With a heavy sigh, she pushed her glasses further up her nose and began to explain.

“Dean Forester went to Stars Hollow High when I did. Jess too,” she recalled trying not to wince. “He used to be good friends with Rory."

“Good friends?” her son asked around a mouthful of chips.

Lane looked away and heard Shelley let out a dirty laugh.

“Oh, good friends,” she noted with a smirk that continued long after she stopped laughing.

Peter ate silently, sharing an unimpressed look with Kwan. Martha was just confused. “Aunt Rory dated this guy before she married Uncle Jess?” she checked. “I thought they’d been together since high school”

“They were. They have,” said Lane quickly. “Um, it’s a little complicated, and really not my story to tell. Anyway, the fact is, if Jack likes Alison then it could make things a little... awkward,” she said, her expression reflecting that word to a T.

Martha frowned hard, thanking Lane quickly before heading off to Alex’s house. She tried Jack’s cell again though it was still switched off. They needed to have a talk and it needed to be now. She highly doubted that her best friend had any idea what he was getting himself into by crushing on the new girl, and she intended to tell him before any kind of trouble started.

* * *

“Sweetheart? Tori? Victoria!” Lorelai went for a yell of the given name in the hopes that might snap her granddaughter out of the uber-daze, and thankfully it did. “Geez, that was some pretty deep hypnosis you were under.”

“Sorry,” said Tori, shaking her head. “I was just...”

“Just trying to move that lamp over there with only the power of your mind?” Lorelai filled in with a smile, that expression fading very quickly when she realised Tori wasn’t looking so happy. “Seriously, babe, is something wrong? Because you know you can talk to me. Not that you can’t talk to your mom or your dad, but... well, even when you have awesome parents, and I know yours to be the most awesome ever, sometimes a third party ear is required. Grandma Lorelai is right here with two of them at your disposal, as always,” she promised, hands enhancing the size of the very ears she spoke of.

“Thanks, but I’m fine,” said Tori unconvincingly. “Or I should be, anyway. School is fine, home is fine, I’m just... I'm in a funk today. If I knew why I’d tell you.”

“Just one of those teenage blues type of days, huh?” sighed Lorelai. “I remember those,” she sympathised, putting an arm around Tori and rubbing her arm comfortingly. “Well, like I said, if you do need to talk, my ears are available. Also, if you decide you need to drown some teen girl problem in a vat of rocky road, I come with my own spoon,” she grinned.

Tori laughed, knowing that as much as she was making a joke, there was a big chunk of truth to those words. Her Grandma Lorelai really was the absolute coolest, but Tori meant what she said about being fine. She was, most of the time. There were no problems to discuss because everything really was okay. It was just sometimes, life seemed like it had a hole in it, like there was something missing. Tori had no idea what the missing piece of the puzzle was and was pretty sure nobody else could tell her. Until she figured it out, nobody could really assist.

“Oh, no!” gasped Lorelai then as she checked her cell the moment it buzzed in her pocket. “Oh, this is... This is not good! Sookie!” she yelled to her partner and friend, headed right off to the kitchen.

Tori was caught between knowing she should probably stay and man the desk and wanting to know what the heck was going on. At just the right moment, Michel came back down the stairs from assisting a guest.

“Great! You’ve got the desk, right, Michel?” said Tori, already backing down the hallway.

“Since it is my job, then yes, I do,” he told her haughtily, not getting a chance to say more as Tori all but ran away.

“Cool, thanks!” she called as she went.

Michel huffed and turned away. “I do so hate all of these children.”

Tori got to the kitchen door in time to hear the clatter of pans on the floor. Aunt Sookie had her hands over her mouth in shock as Lorelai joined the assistant chefs in stooping to the ground to pick up the fallen cookware. Tori joined in on instinct, knowing if she looked useful she was less likely to be asked to go back out of the room.

“No, no, no!” Sookie gasped the moment her hands came away from her mouth. “Jess is going to go crazy, and Dean too! Oh my... What can we do?!”

“I don’t think there’s anything we can do,” said Lorelai, piling a cookie tray and a muffin pan onto the counter from the floor. “I mean, two teens meet and fall for each other, what can you do?”

“I should warn Martha!” said Sookie then. “She’s Jack’s best friend, she should know what’s happening. Although she was at school with them today, she would already know about Alison, but not who she is. Oh my goodness!” she yelled, rushing towards the phone.

Lorelai was texting like a crazy person and Tori craned her neck to see. Immediately her grandma caught her looking, she moved the phone.

“Hey, Parker,” she said. “First name Nosey,” she added for emphasis.

“You’re talking about my brother and the new girl in school who he’s been drooling over all day. Him and half the male population from what I saw and heard,” Tori said as she rolled her eyes. “What I don’t get is why all the drama?”

Lorelai opened her mouth to answer when Sookie suddenly came rushing back to the scene.

“It rang a million times before anybody picked up!” she explained. “Martha had gone over to the Van Gerbigs, and Jackson was out with Jaime, so there was only Davey home and you know how he gets so caught up in his studying. Senior year is a very big deal and he has to work so hard if he wants to go to college in the Fall...”

“Sook, focus!” Lorelai urged her. “Do your kids know who Alison is?”

“Davey seemed pretty oblivious,” she told her oldest friend. “I don’t know if Martha does, but she’ll probably find out before long.”

“Hey, I’m right here! Could someone tell me!” said Tori, practically jumping up and down just so people knew she wasn’t invisible.

“Hey, take a breath, kid,” Lorelai urged her. “You want to know then I guess I’ll tell you?” she said, looking to Sookie and pretty much asking her advice in so many words as to whether or not she should tell her granddaughter the truth. “Or maybe I take you home so your mom can tell you.”

“Or maybe I’ll text Jack and find out for myself.” Tori sighed, pulling out her cell before anyone could say another word.

_‘Why is everyone wigging because you like the new girl?’_ she quickly typed, hitting send immediately.

Lorelai and Sookie waited impatiently for the reply to come, unsure yet as to whether Jack would even know the significance of his latest crush. It was going to be all over town before long, that much they knew for sure. The adults still spread gossip the old-fashioned way, but with social media rife these days, the kids usually got their news passed around even faster than East Side Tilly could boast.

Tori’s cell buzzed with a message from Jack and she opened it right away.

_‘Alison’s dad is Mom’s ex!’_

“What?” Tori gasped, showing the screen to Grandma Lorelai, needing confirmation of what she just read.

“Yup, he knows,” said Lorelai with a sigh. “I'm guessing there may be trouble ahead.”


	3. Chapter 3

Jack wasn’t so sure he wanted to be here. Home had always been a pretty happy place. A lot of his friends had trouble with their parents or siblings, but Jack Mariano had always been lucky in the family department. His parents were younger than most and fairly easy-going for the most part. He did well in school, didn’t find himself in a whole lot of trouble, so neither his mom nor his dad felt the need to rail on him. Even Tori, who could pull the annoying little sister act when the fit took her, was never a real problem for Jack. They just got along for the most part.

This was one of the very few occasions when Jack would like to avoid all of his family, blood related or otherwise. With a sigh, he realised he had no choice but to face the music and opened up the front door.

“If you think this is being home for dinner then we seriously need to revisit your time-telling skills,” said Rory sharply just as soon as Jack stepped inside the house.

“Busted,” said Tori from her place on the couch, face showing full-on smirk mode.

Jack folded his arms defensively and walked further into the living room.

“Alex’s mom offered me to stay and eat there,” he said, eyes everywhere but on his parents. “I told Tori to tell you.”

“That’s not how it works here, Jack, and you know it,” said Jess finally making his presence felt. “First of all, you don’t _tell_ your sister to do anything, you _ask_ her,” he reminded his son crossly. “Second, you don’t rely on other people to pass messages when you're completely capable of talking to me and your mom for yourself.”

“I figured now probably wasn’t a good time to start a conversation,” Jack replied smartly. “I mean, we all know what the real problem is here, right? This is about who Alison’s parents are.”

Jack’s gaze shifted from his father to his mother as he spoke, eyes flashing with something that Rory had seen from Jess in the past. That kind of look never led to anything good, only harsh words and nasty accusations.

“I don’t know exactly what you heard, Jack,” she said then, calmly as she could before somebody else blew a fuse. “But here’s the truth. Before I met your father, yes, I dated Dean Forester, and yes, it would appear that he is Alison’s father. That makes life a little trickier than it was before...”

“Why?” her son asked her, before Rory could say any more. “So you dated her dad? So what? That was like a million years ago! Besides, I’m not even dating Alison. I just said I liked her, that’s all.”

Tori scoffed at his wording and ended up with all eyes upon her. “Oh, come on! He more than just likes her.”

“That is what I heard,” Jess agreed, looking back at Jack, “and from the horses mouth, no less.”

“Ah, geez!” his son groaned, running a hand over his face. “I don’t... I just like her, that’s all. I’m not dating her, I haven’t even really talked to her yet, so how about everybody calms down and stops turning this whole situation into freakin’ West Side Story? I’ve got Martha hassling me, Alex thinking the whole thing is funny as hell, and now my own parents acting like I broke the eleventh commandment by liking a girl. This is insane!”

“Jack, we’re not...” Rory began, but he shook his head and moved past her to the stairs before she could say more.

“I’m sorry, Mom, but I really don’t wanna have this conversation right now.”

With that he was gone, his bedroom door slamming behind him so hard the whole house seemed to shake. Jess had a face like thunder and Rory very deliberately put herself in front of him when he made for the stairs.

“Let him go, Jess. Please,” she urged her husband, hands on his chest to hold him back. “None of this is his fault.”

“Why is any of it anybody’s fault?” asked Tori then. “I mean, I get that it’s a little twisted if Jack dates your ex’s daughter, Mom, but would it really matter so much?”

Jess all but growled at the presumption, then turned and went out of the front door, slamming it behind him. ‘Like father, like son’, thought Rory, as she so often had before. Slumping down on the couch beside Tori, mother pulled daughter into a brief hug.

“If your father doesn’t come home smelling like cigarettes tonight, I’ll be amazed,” said Rory, though she was muttering to herself more than really speaking to Tori.

“That bad?” her daughter said sadly.

She knew that Dad had given up smoking right when Mom first got pregnant with Jack. The kids had both been told many times and had experienced the few situations that drove their father back to the dirty killer habit. Most situations that made Dad desperately crave the nicotine involved Grandma Liz or a real serious fight between him and Mom. Tori couldn’t quite understand why a guy from way back when would be such a big deal.

“If you and Alison Forester’s dad dated before you met our dad, why is he so mad about it?” she asked her mother outright. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Rory sighed and shook her head. What happened with her, Dean, and Jess, it wasn’t a story she much liked sharing. She barely liked to think about the mess she made as a teenager. In the end, she had broken all three of their hearts when she chose to string Dean along, spend her initial time dating Jess comparing him to Dean, and then later sleeping with her first ex and then her second in fairly quick succession. Telling her daughter all of this, the very idea of it made Rory feel sick, but she had to be honest. Her own mother was always honest with her. Rory knew all about Lorelai and Christopher, how she came into the world, all the gory details, good and bad. Nothing positive ever came from secrets and lies.

“Okay,” she said, at length. “When I met your father, I was only seventeen. We both were,” she smiled at sweet memories but only for a moment. “I was dating Dean and had been for a while. He was sweet, kind, he took care of me, but Jess was... He is my soul-mate,” she explained. “Sometimes you meet a person and something just clicks, everything fits perfectly even when it doesn’t seem as if it should. That’s what it’s like with me and your dad, but that was a lot for me to understand when I was so young. I tried to keep on making things work with Dean, even though I knew my heart belonged somewhere else.”

“But everything worked out,” said Tori, shrugging her shoulders. “You ended up with Dad, Dean ended up with Alison’s mom.”

“We did.” Rory nodded. “In the end, we were all happy and everything worked out, but there was a time when... Well, as much as I’d love for you to think of me as the perfect role model, Tori, that’s never true of anybody. I didn’t always behave in the best way when I was younger,” she explained, fingers lacing and unlacing in her lap and all her attention on them rather than her daughter. “Dean and Jess, they never did get along. They... I guess they fought over me, and as romantic as it might sound to you, it really wasn’t. I don’t want to imagine what might happen if your brother got serious about Alison, and your dad and hers had to face each other again. Even after all this time, I really don’t think it would end well.”

Tori didn’t really know what to say. All the information she had gotten out of Grandma Lorelai and Aunt Sookie was that her mom used to date Mr Forester. Now she understood better why Dad was so frustrated by the whole situation, but that didn’t mean she knew how to make it any better. Jack was a good guy. Maybe it wasn’t cool for a teenage girl to love her brother, but Tori totally did. She knew he would never do anything to hurt their family, but he also got pretty ticked when he was told he couldn’t or shouldn’t do something. Tori understood that, because she was exactly the same. Their mom said it was a trait they got from their dad. Dad never argued about that, he just got this look on his face, like he was caught between being proud of having passed on a little piece of himself and ashamed that he was the reason his kids were being unruly.

“And to think I thought it would be you falling in love that’d make your dad lose his mind,” said Rory then.

Tori blushed as her mother was want to do when even remotely embarrassed.

“I don’t think we have to worry about that for a while,” she smiled slightly. “You’ve seen the idiots that go to my school, right?” She rolled her eyes at the very thought of getting close to a boy and Rory smiled.

“You have plenty of time for dating later,” she said, pulling her daughter close again and kissing the top of her head. “Now, you wanna go check on Jack for me while I call your grandprents, let them know the worst is over?”

“Sure.” Tori nodded, knowing she had been intending to go straight to Jack the moment this was over anyway.

Hurrying up the stairs, she just heard her mom start speaking to Grandma Lorelai before she hit the landing. Something about hoping to find Jess before he smoked an entire tobacco harvest. Tori stopped listening and tapped on her brother’s bedroom door. He didn’t tell her to come in, but he didn’t tell her to go away either. Tori opened the door a crack and peeked inside. As she suspected, Jack was lying on his bed, earbuds in and I-Pod blaring so loud she could hear it from across the room. His eyes were closed and he was oblivious to his sister’s presence until she walked over and smacked him in the tapping feet.

“Geez, Toria!” he jumped, pulling out one earbud and shutting off the epic pop-punk mix. “What are you doing?”

“Checking you didn’t drink the poison or take up the dagger?” she smirked.

Jack smiled because he couldn’t help it, moving over a little to make room for his sister to sit down on the edge of the bed.

“I don’t hear fighting,” he noted.

Tori shook her head. “Dad slammed out right after you did. He’s pretty messed up over the Foresters coming to town.”

“So I heard,” said Jack, rolling his eyes.

“I think it’s a bigger deal than it seems” his sister told him. “Mom’s all... I don’t know, I think she’s worried about our dad and Alison’s dad ever meeting again. Pretty sure when they were our age, things were kinda bad.”

“There’s no way Mom cheated on Dad,” said Jack definitely.

“I know that,” Tori rolled her eyes this time. “From what she told me, Dean was already her boyfriend before she met Dad, but they never got along. Things can get ugly. Gatsby vs Buchanan. Heathcliff vs Linton. Stuff like that doesn’t go away.”

“Doesn’t matter what I do.” Jack shook his head. “Even if I promised never to talk to Alison or even look at her, that wouldn’t stop her dad and ours running into each other in a store or the street or parent-teacher night.”

“I know.” Tori nodded. “And besides, you’re not going to avoid Alison. We both know she did a number on you just by fluttering her eyelashes.”

“Toria!” he snapped at her patronising tone, but there was no malice on either side, there never really was.

“Come on, tell me I’m wrong?” she challenged him. “You never got so bent out of shape over a girl before. Mom was telling me, about meeting somebody and just knowing that it’s right. You looked at Alison and that’s what you felt, right? That you’d just found what was missing in your life?”

Jack opened his mouth to reply and then closed it again fast. It was insane to think he had fallen in love at first sight. That happened in books and movies, but real life was built on logic and good sense. People didn’t really just look at each other and know it was forever. Except for maybe his parents, and his grandparents, and his great grandparents if the stories were to be believed.

“You have no business being so smart, _little_ sister,” he said, smirking at Tori.

“They didn’t let me skip a grade because of my looks,” she replied smartly, smiling just the same. “Seriously though, whatever mess it makes, if you like Alison, you should talk to her, ask her out, hit her over the head and drag her to your cave, however it’s supposed to work with teenage boys,” she said, as she got up to leave. “Dad will calm down, Mom will get over it, and I’ve always got your back, you know that.”

“And I’ve always got yours,” he promised, his words stopping her at the door and making her look back at him. “Thanks, Toria.”

“All part of the sibling package,” she said, shrugging like it was nothing, and then she was gone.

Jack pushed his headphones back into ears but didn’t turn the music back on at first. Tori had a point about what he felt when he looked at Alison. It was so intense, like the rest of the world went away and she was the only one there. It could be love, he supposed, but somehow it felt strange to even think about such a thing. He certainly didn’t like the idea that pursuing something with the new girl would make trouble in his family, but surely everybody could get over themselves, twenty years after the initial problems?

Flipping the music back on, Jack pumped up the volume and closed his eyes again. Thankfully, there was no issue that couldn’t be sufficiently drowned out by enough rock, punk, and metal. Everything else would wait until tomorrow.

* * *

“Hey, go easy,” Luke urged Jess when he downed a second double shot inside of ten minutes.

“You were the one who shoved me out of the store so I couldn’t buy cigarettes,” his nephew reminded him crossly. “So now I’m drinking your whiskey. Deal with it.”

“Hey, I thought we knocked that attitude out of you when you were seventeen. Don’t make me remind you what you almost lost the last time that charming trait of yours came out to play,” said Luke crossly, snatching the bottle away before Jess could make another grab for it.

They were sat across the kitchen table from each other in the Danes family home, the house that had been called the Crap Shack for as long as anyone could remember. It was reminiscent of being either side of the diner counter, as Jess and Luke had been many times over the years as one or the other of them tried to work through a problem with their wife or kid. Luke was more of an advice giver than Jess, but once in a while nephew had to counsel uncle on some issue or other. When they needed a fellow guy to lean on, the two always had each others back. That was no different today, but if Jess was going to revert to his teenage self, Luke was going to lose his temper.

“Forester has been back here, what? A few days?” said Jess sadly. “Already he has Rory upset and my son acting like his has a right to yell at me in my house!”

“Yeah, because when you were sixteen, you were just angelic,” countered Luke. “You want to know why Jack is behaving like an ass? Look in a mirror. He’s your son, Jess,” he said, impressing his point with his finger pushing into the table. “Dean isn’t making him act this way, neither is Dean’s daughter. You’re making a big deal and Jack is blowing up just like you used to do when anyone challenged you.”

“You don’t think I know that?!” Jess all-but exploded, lowering his voice in a second when he remembered where he was.

Lorelai was in the next room, on the phone to Rory, Jess had no doubt. Plus Billy was right next door in his room, supposedly doing his homework but probably listening in too. It wouldn’t be hard given the volumes Jess was reaching, and he wasn’t altogether proud of himself for that.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, running a hand over his face. “It’s just that guy. Forester is just... I thought he was gone for good.”

“You can’t tell people they can’t move back to their hometown just because it doesn’t suit you,” Luke reminded him. “Jess, you really think I like it when Christopher drops by to visit with Rory, or when the Gilmore Elders come around with their condescending manners? No, I don’t like it, but I deal with it. We’re all adults now, Jess, even you. You gotta learn to act like one, especially now. You’re supposed to be showing Jack, and Victoria for that matter, a good example.”

“I know,” he agreed softly. “I just don’t feel like a great example today, okay? I feel like I’m seventeen and all I want to do is punch somebody.”

“And you think I never feel like that?” asked Luke, making Jess look up fast. “I do. A lot some days, but you have to rise above it. So what if Jack asks out this Alison girl? So what if you have to see Dean again? You’re better than him. You got Rory. You got the kids and the house and the career. You got everything, Jess, probably everything Dean Forester ever wanted. Be grateful. Be glad. Just don’t be an idiot.”

“Now I really do feel like I’m seventeen,” he smirked, unable to help it as he looked up at his uncle then. “Always with the fatherly advice, even after I’ve been a father myself for sixteen years.”

Luke didn’t say anything to that, only smiled and reached out to ruffle Jess’ hair in the way that always bugged him as a kid and made him laugh now he was grown.

“Ah, geez!” he mock-complained as Lorelai returned to the kitchen.

“We okay in here?” she checked warily. “Because your wife is kind of worried you smoked yourself to death already."

“I’m okay,” Jess assured her. “And right now, I’m going home to my family.”


	4. Chapter 4

It was far from an ordinary school day. There were great advantages to having so many family members and close friends in the same grade, and that was the one great bonus for Tori when she got moved up early in middle school. Now she was in classes with Billy, Jaime, Steve and Kwan, and even Doula when she was around. That was no bad thing, until the gossip mill went into over-drive.

So many kids were a part of the extended family that had grown up around Lorelai and Rory, affectionately known as the Gilmore Girls in days gone by. Then there were neighbours and friends of the family. All in all, the gossip spread fast via the usual talking in the halls and such, as well as social media that ran red-hot all of the time. Everybody who was anybody knew that Jack Mariano’s father and Alison Forester’s father used to be rivals, and all for the love of one Rory Gilmore, the woman Tori and Jack called Mom.

“Y’know what I could use never hearing again?” said Tori as she dumped her bag down on the cafeteria table with a thud. “‘Oh my God, is your brother going to date the new girl?’ and ‘Is it true that your dad and Alison’s dad almost killed each other one time?’” she said, all in an overly girly, Valley girl style voice.

Kwan cracked up. 

“You should really consider joining drama club, Tor,” he teased her.

“I don’t think it’s funny how people are talking about our family,” said Billy solemnly. “Jess was over at our place last night and he seemed pretty mad.”

“Dad’ll be okay,” said Tori, blowing her bangs off her forehead. “He calmed down a lot by the time he came home. I overheard him apologising to Mom. Of course, he and Jack haven’t talked it out yet. That might be fun.”

“Fun is not the word I’d use,” said her brother as he sat down in the seat beside her. “I guess I should talk to him though.”

“The bigger question is, and trust me when I tell you that I hate myself for asking this, but I gotta know, have you talked to the wonderful Alison yet?” Tori asked Jack.

The whole table was now staring at him and that gave Jack an uncomfortableness, not least because the answer he had to give was ‘no’.

“I haven’t really seen her yet today,” he said, eyes fixed on his food. “Turns out she’s actually a Sophomore. She was only in English yesterday because she’s taking a couple of advanced classes.”

“So she really is smart,” said Jaime, though her eyes never left her notepad.

“Apparently,” Tori agreed, leaning over to see what her friend was working on this time. “That’s really cool. If I was the type to be craving a tattoo, that would look so good,” she said, tapping the design Jaime had drawn all down one side of the page.

She smiled at the compliment and carried on shading, whilst Kwan began laughing heartily again. He was just that kind of guy, he found a lot of things amusing.

“Seriously, Tor?” he said, looking down the table at her. “Your parents are flipping about over Jack and a girl he hasn’t even talked to yet. You getting a tattoo is so out there. They’d have you locked up in the tower like Rapunzel so fast your feet wouldn’t touch the ground.”

“Okay, first, solid fairytale reference, tough guy,” she replied smartly, poking out her tongue like a real kid and not caring at all. “And second, I said if I was the type to get a tattoo, and as it turns out, I’m not.”

She turned to look to her brother then but found Jack entirely distracted by the girls who had just walked in, or more specifically one of the girls. The much talked of Alison was flipping her pretty blonde hair over her shoulder and laughing with her friends. She reminded Tori of a shampoo commercial, and not in a good way. Jack seemed to be contemplating what to do next, if he was supposed to go over and talk to Alison or just let her be. A hush descended over various areas of the cafeteria as the gossips started up again in a familiar murmur, discussing things they thought they knew, bits and pieces they had learnt from their parents and neighbours. Jack swallowed hard, took a breath, and planned to just get up and go on over there, when suddenly he realised he didn’t need to. Alison Forester was actually headed towards him!

“Incoming,” said Kwan in a low voice.

“This I gotta see,” his brother said, finally tearing his eyes away from his textbook. 

Even Jaime stopped what she was doing to see what might occur. Everyone at the table stared as Alison approached, giving one more flip of her hair as she reached Jack.

“Hi,” she smiled brightly. “You’re Jack Mariano, right?”

“Yeah,” he replied stiffly, clearing his throat twice before he could continue. “Er, and you’re Alison Forester.”

“News travels fast,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I know everybody is making such a big deal because apparently my parents knew your parents or something,” she continued, waving her hand in some random gesture that either meant she didn’t know the details or didn’t care for them - Tori didn’t quite believe either option was true - “So, anyway, I was thinking it might make things a little less awkward if I just came and said ‘hi’, introduced myself.”

Jack nodded dumbly, wondering where the hell his extensive vocabulary had suddenly gone to. Alison was blindingly beautiful, smart, funny, and quite honestly, maybe he was in love with her already. He would think that was beyond crazy if he didn’t know such a thing was possible; if it hadn’t happened all through his family.

“Well, anyway. I said what I came to say” Alison continued then, apparently wary of all the eyes upon her right now. “But, er... I hope that maybe you and me can get to know each other better. It’d be cool to hang out sometime.”

“Sure, yeah,” said Jack, nodding some more.

Alison gave him one last winning smile and then walked back to her friends. Jack let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. Tori shook her head.

“Wow. You really suck at talking to girls you like,” she said flatly.

Jack turned on her with a pissed off expression. 

“Wait until you fall for someone, Toria. See how you act!”

In a second he was up from his seat and gone from the table.

“Even guys can get sensitive about some things,” said Jaime thoughtfully. “Of course, Davey doesn’t seem to, but everybody is different, I guess.”

“Yeah,” replied Tori absently, watching Jack disappear out of the door.

Her attention went to Alison then as she continued to talk and laugh with her friends. Tori’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the other girl. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but somehow she just didn’t like Alison Forester. Maybe it was her parents connection to Mr Forester that was making her irrational about Alison, but Tori just couldn’t shake the idea that Alison wasn’t all she seemed. She hoped for Jack’s sake that she was wrong.

* * *

“You working at the inn today?” asked Steve as he and Tori walked out of school together that afternoon.

“Nope, not today,” she confirmed, shaking her head. “Free as a bird actually, ‘cept for the homework, obviously.”

“That’s actually why I was asking. You wanna come over and go over that physics assignment together? I know Asians are stereotypically science geeks, but I still maintain my Caucasian half has control of my science gene.”

“If you think people have a science gene than you’re going to flunk biology for sure!” Tori teased him with a giggle. “But yeah, we can do the physics thing.”

“Cool.” Steve nodded. “I have to drop in at the music store for an hour right now. The parentals have a meeting about that Hep Alien reunion gig, so there’s nobody to mind the store until they’re done, but after that?”

“Sure,” Tori agreed. “I’ll go hang out at the diner for a while, grab us some food and bring it over later.”

“Works for me,” said Steve with a smile, as they parted ways at last.

Tori headed to Luke’s as planned and ended up pitching in with the work since it seemed everybody suddenly wanted to be served all at once. By the time she was done assisting with the clean up from the unexpected rush, she was almost late to meet Steve. Grandpa Luke gave her a couple of burgers and fries plus sodas to go along with, not charging her a dime since she had been such a great help. With a wide grin, Tori thanked him, and then hurried down the street to Sophie’s Music. She still thought it was weird that Aunt Lane and Uncle Zach never changed the name when they took over so long ago, but she was done asking why not.

Steve was still behind the counter when she got there, checking his watch. Tori assumed she was late until he assured her it was fine, it was actually his brother he was waiting on.

“Kwan can be such a flake,” he complained, gladly accepting the food Tori brought for him and thanking her. “He’s my twin brother and I love him, but damn, he bugs me when he pulls this crap.”

“He’s probably practising with the band,” Tori considered around a mouthful of burger.

“Can’t be,” Steve shook his head. “Hep Alien are in our garage, that’s kinda the point. I’d guarantee Kwan is either caught up with some girls or trying to be caught up with some girls.”

“How come I never see you getting caught up with girls?” asked Tori then. “I mean, you two are like extra brothers to me, but even I know you’re not deficient in the looks department. Hello, you’re identical to Kwan and he practically has girls throwing themselves at him.”

Steve looked away, seemingly feeling very awkward about the question. Tori didn’t know what was up with everybody lately. If it wasn’t Jack falling for the wrong girl it was Kwan falling for all the girls and Steve not falling for anyone.

“I could ask you the same question,” he said definitively.

“No offence to Stars Hollow’s small but obvious lesbian contingent, but I don’t want to be caught up with girls, thank you very much.” she smirked, making Steve laugh too. “But seriously, folks, I don’t know. I guess any guy that I get along with is just a little too much like family to be of interest that way. If I ever find Prince Charming, trust me, you’ll be the first to know, or at least one of the first. Unless Babette or Miss Patty finds out, then I have no control over who hears it first!”

The two were laughing together and enjoying their food when Kwan finally showed up, all full of apologies for his tardiness. He was always sorry, but that didn’t mean he would be any earlier next time he was due somewhere, and his twin knew it better than anyone.

Tori and Steve headed to the Van Gerbig house then. From the end of the driveway they could hear Hep Alien playing the hell out of a Guns N Roses classic. Tori was totally digging the music, complete with Uncle Gil’s screaming vocals. Uncle Zach didn’t let anyone else sing lead very often, but when it was this kind of rock staple, he would be a fool to try to compete.

Headed around the side of the house to enjoy the impromptu concert a little longer, Tori grinned widely at the sight of her uncles playing guitars and bass. The real surprise came when she realised Aunt Lane was not behind her drum set. Instead there was a guy she had never seen before, and somehow she couldn’t take her eyes off him now that she had.

As the song came to a crashing end, Lane winced at the overzealous use of the cymbals and her band-mates seemed to flinch just the same. Still, Tori couldn’t stop staring the stranger, even as she automatically began applauding along with Steve now the song was over.

“Well, you certainly have the raw talent,” said Lane to the guy sat at her drums. “But there’s work to be done if you ever want to be really good.”

“That’s why I’m here,” he said. “You guys are so awesome, and who wants to miss out on the chance to learn drums from Lane Van Gerbig?

“Oh, hush!” she coloured at the compliment.

“C’mon, babe, you know the kid’s right. You rock,” said Zach easily. “It’s why you put the ad out there, because you need to pass on that awesome talent that you have.”

“Hey, Stevie. And Tor, how you doin’?” said Gil, high fiving them one after the other and completely obscuring Tori’s view of the guy Aunt Lane was apparently going to teach drums too.

“Er, I’m fine, Uncle Gil. We’re going to study. Physics homework,” she explained, struggling to even get that many words out.

“Nothin’ cooler than school,” he nodded along, trying not to smile when he noticed the way Tori was trying to crane her neck to see around him. “The kid’s pretty good, huh? Hey, Dax, man! Think you’ve got a fan already,” he chuckled.

Tori was mortified as the guy behind the drums suddenly met her eyes and smiled. Her heart seemed to skip a beat and the heat rose up in her cheeks like a wildfire.

“Studying. Now!” she said to Steve, literally pushing him towards the house and following after him at top speed. “This is not happening to me. No way!”


	5. Chapter 5

“I’m not saying that, I just think that if they’re going to make another movie, the main roles need to be recast!” said Alex with determination that he only ever found in himself when it came to two topics - women and comic book-based movies. “Those guys are as old as my grandparents!”

“But the characters have grown with the actors,” insisted Martha. “People go to watch as much for them as for the storylines and special effects. Recasting could ruin the entire franchise! Jack, c’mon, back me up, please?” she urged her BFF.

Jack wasn’t listening. Honestly, he had heard next to nothing of what his two friends had been saying about whatever movie series had their attention. It wasn’t that they were boring him. Usually he would happily talk about such things, though he tended to keep to middle ground if he possibly could, never taking a side in an attempt to keep the peace. Somehow Martha and Alex were always on opposite sides of a debate, and only Alex hadn’t figured out why yet.

“Huh?” said Jack, glancing at Martha when she poked him hard in the arm. “What?”

“You’re not listening,” she noted. “Given the view, not such a shocker,” she added, pointing in the direction of her friend’s gaze.

Alex looked that way and then sighed. “C’mon, Mar. Can you blame the guy? Alison Forester is smokin’ hot.”

“If you like that kind of thing,” huffed Martha, blowing her bangs off her forehead.

She knew immediately that she had lost the attention of both guys. Her hand went into her bag for a snack and Martha bit down hard on a carrot before turning to walk away. She wanted to be there for Jack. They had been best friends since forever, and Martha would always support him no matter what, even if he was destined to jump into a relationship that could potentially tear apart their whole extended family. The real problem was that Alex was perhaps even more supportive of the great Alison Forester, primarily because of her looks. Sometimes Martha wondered why she had been pining for the guy all these years.

“Dude, she’s coming over here!” said Alex, not even noticing Martha was gone, concentrating only on Alison’s approach.

“I see that, genius,” said Jack, rolling his eyes. “Just, be cool,” he advised his friend, not entirely sure Alex could be trusted to do such a thing, but he had to hope.

“Hi, Jack,” said Alison as she walked up to Jack with a smile on her lips. “So, you done with the reading for English yet? I swear, I’m never going to catch up.”

“Oh, well, I read Of Mice and Men before. At least three times,” he told her easily, watching her eyes go wide.

“Wow. So, you’re a Steinbeck nerd or just really into the classics in general?”

“A little of both, I guess. I like all kinds of books. Everything from Rand to Hemingway,” he smiled right back at the beautiful Alison, who actually seemed impressed.

It wasn’t just any girl that appreciated a well-read man. Most of the guys that got dates with the most desirable girls in school were popular because they were lettering in track or because they rode a kick ass motorcycle. Guys like Jack and Alex did okay, but they were pretty average in the high school foodchain, nothing special. Jack had certainly never been considered attractive because he was a geek when it came to reading.

“Well, nothing beats a good novel,” Alison told him. “Give me Jane Austen or Emily Bronte over a movie any day of the week. Not that I don’t like movies,” she said pointedly then.

Alex shoved Jack in the back to get him to speak up and ask her out already. Either Jack didn’t get it or he was just refusing to comply.

“Dude, seriously,” Alex muttered. “You’re hopeless!”

At that he told Alison he had to go and walked away, not really expecting the beautiful Ms Forester to notice his absence. Heading through the double doors, Alex almost crashed right into Martha on the other side.

“Didn’t go far, huh?” he said, not really expecting an answer. “What’s up, Mar? You always said you and Jack were never going to do the whole friends-to-lovers thing, so why’s the new babe got you so mopey?”

Martha swallowed a mouthful of carrot, opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. It was true, she had no interest in Jack being anything but her best friend. She wasn’t jealous of Alison because she had her BFFs attention, nothing like that. If the green-eyed monster was visiting Martha at all it was because of all the guys thinking how attractive Alison was. Maybe it didn’t matter that all the guys liked her. Maybe it only mattered that one did.

“You really think she’s hot?” Martha asked Alex, watching him watching Jack and Alison through the glass.

“Smokin’,” her friend told her definitely, smiling when he said it because he was pretty sure Jack just scored himself a date.

When Alex finally tore his eyes away from the scene, Martha was gone, again.

* * *

Tori was in a world of her own, as was usually the case when she had her I-Pod plugged into her ears. Walking down the street with the beat blaring might’ve been dangerous anywhere else, but the Hollow was the safest place in the world, so she never had to care about weirdos attacking her or cars running her down. Internally rocking out, she had no idea somebody was calling for her attention until they appeared at her side.

“Hey!” the guy said one more time, finally getting Tori to look.

“Hi,” she replied absently, popping out an earbud.

She knew who he was. There was no way for Tori not to recognise the insanely cute drummer that she had last seen in Aunt Lane’s garage a couple of days back. There was very little other information that she knew about him, not his name or where he was from, or anything, on account of the fact she refused to ask.

Tori could not deal with falling for some drummer right now. The timing was terrible, she just didn’t want the feelings and so she squashed them down and told herself it was nothing. That he was only attractive because she was low on sugar and high on life that day. Because Hep Alien could make any fellow musician look good. Now she saw him again, smiling at her, looking as edible as he had before and then some. All Tori’s theories were shot to hell.

“I’m better than this,” she muttered to herself, reaching to shut off her I-Pod that still blared in her left ear yet. “Um, do I know you?” she asked aloud, hoping he wouldn’t have any reason to know she was bluffing.

“Not exactly,” he told her, pushing his fringe out of his eyes. “We met once, briefly. You came over to the Van Gerbigs’ place, when I was there asking about drum lessons?”

“Oh, right.” Tori nodded. “Yeah, I saw you, briefly,” she confirmed.

“I’m Dax, by the way,” said the guy who no longer would remain nameless.

Tori’s eyebrows rose high on her face. “I’m Tori,” she told him, shaking the hand he offered her, even though she thought that was just a little weird. “What kind of a name is Dax anyway?” she asked, glad her train of thought was distracting from the electricity that shot up through her arm when her hand touched his own.

“I don’t know, what kind of name is Tori?” he asked, a hint of a smile on his lips as he rose to her challenge.

She watched him push his fringe back again and couldn’t help but smile herself. Maybe it was a nervous habit or maybe he really ought to get his hair cut. Tori kind of didn’t care what the reason was, she just liked it, which was such a weird thing to like about a guy. Not that Tori liked a guy named Dax who wanted to play drums. She was not going down that road, not a chance!

“Tori is short for Victoria,” she explained when it eventually occured to her she should. “It’s a pretty standard contraction. What’s Dax short for?”

He shrugged as if he didn’t know, which is quite the strange reaction to being asked about your own name. Still, Tori didn’t question him further. After all, her father’s name was Jess. That wasn’t exactly a normal name for a guy, and it wasn’t short for anything either. Grandma Liz was just a little cracked, that was all.

“I don’t know,” said Dax after a while. “I always thought single names were cool, especially if you want to be a rock star,” he added with a smile.

“Hate to break it to you, but drummers aren’t usually rock stars,” she said, leaning in closer like she was telling him a trade secret. “Drummers tend to die in freak gardening accidents, choke on other people’s vomit, and occasionally spontaneously combust.”

That made him laugh and the sound of it caused Tori to shake all over. She wasn’t so sure it was the kind of movement in her body that anybody would see, she wasn’t even sure she really moved, but the entire surface of her skin seemed to vibrate for as long as he was chuckling at her Tap joke.

“C’mon, what about Roger Taylor? John Bonham? Bun E Carlos?” he listed easily, counting each one off on his fingers. “Rock and roll would not be the same without those guys.”

Tori considered his argument and smiled. “You aspire to be that good?”

“I aspire to be as good as the great Lane Van Gerbig can make me,” he told her easily, and that just made Tori smile more.

“Aunt Lane’s the best,” she agreed. “You’re lucky you can afford her lessons.”

Dax reacted just a little to the word ‘aunt’ but didn’t say anything.

“I feel lucky,” he confirmed. “I’m actually headed over there now for my first real lesson, but I kinda got turned around. Why are all the streets here named after fruit?” he asked, looking up at the nearest sign.

“I don’t know, I never asked,” said Tori thoughtfully. “But I can show you the way to Aunt Lane’s place if you want, I guess.”

“That’d be cool,” said Dax, nodding his head.

Tori took a deep breath and set off walking, just expecting him to fall into step. The guy didn’t let her down. Inside her head, Tori was screaming ‘I am so screwed’.

* * *

Jess was outside the diner, looking out across the square. He could’ve sworn he saw Tori talking to some guy he didn’t recognise, but that was crazy. She was only fourteen yet, and besides if she had a guy in her life other than those she saw as family, she would have told her father, or at the very least her mother who would’ve passed on the information. Jess shook his head, sure he was going crazy, and turned to go inside. He never quite got the chance when he heard his name bellowed from a few yards away. He looked up just in time as Doula came barelling towards him down the sidewalk. She crashed into her big brother like a freight train and only years of practice stopped Jess from giving way under the force of her hug.

“Geez, D. A little more warning next time,” he told her, hugging her tight and smiling even as he scolded her.

Even after all these years of being a husband, a father, a member of a large and ever-growing family, Jess wasn’t much of a hugger. Doula was one expecton to the rule. She had started throwing herself on him in greeting at the age of two or less and that had never changed. His little sister was special, no doubt about that.

“C’mon, you gotta be a little pleased to see me!” she insisted as they let go of each other.

“Always,” Jess assured her. “You just get back?”

“All of twenty minutes ago,” she nodded. “Christmas with the Ren Fayre gang is always such a blast, but home is where my crazy heart lives, so we’re back.”

“And only three days late for school,” said Jess, dry-witted as ever.

Doula rolled her eyes and swatted him across the shoulder. She was so much like Liz sometimes, thankfully not often like T.J. Mostly Jess believed he loved her because she was very much her own person, and just a little bit like him when he was a teenager, the parts of him he actually remembered fondly, with none of the crap.

“Life is way more than school, big brother,” she said with a laugh that was pure Liz without the years of tobacco abuse. “You know that even better than I do.”

“Maybe.” Jess smirked because he couldn’t deny she was right, then he noticed that he was no longer looking a little bit down to see her, more eye to eye these days. “God, when did you get so tall? And so damn smart?” he checked, messing up her dirty blonde hair. “You make me feel old.”

“You _are_ old,” she countered immediately, ducking when he reached out as if to playfully strike her.

Jess laughed at the evasive manoeuvre and then shook his head.

“Where’s Liz?” he asked, knowing he had little choice in the matter.

“At the house tending to my dad.” Doula sighed. “He fell. Again.”

“Sounds like T.J.”

“Anyway I should get back,” she realised, knowing Jess should be working and that she had way more places to see and things to do before she was sent back to school tomorrow. “I just wanted to say ‘hey’,” she told Jess with a winning smile.

“Well, hey, D,” he said deliberately.

“Hey, Jess,” she replied in kind, laughing as she did so, already backing down the sidewalk and waving wildly. “See you later, bro!”

Jess raised his hand in a brief goodbye and then she was gone. She really was growing up, and it honestly did make him feel old. Fifteen years old, dressed in shorts that Daisy Duke would’ve thought inappropriate, despite the fact it was January in Connecticut. She bounded around town like a wild pony, attending school only when she had the time, and didn’t seem to have a clue what she did to the guys her age, as well as the older ones. It made Jess want to gouge out the eyes of any male in town that wasn’t in some way related to his baby sister.

Shaking his head, Jess turned to go inside when his eyes landed on one particular male who he used to want to do way more damage to than eye-gouging. Dean was headed straight down the sidewalk towards him and Jess didn’t actually know what to do about that. He could pretend he didn’t see him and head on into the diner. At the same time, that might look like running away. Jess was not going to do that. Facing up to his old enemy, Jess folded his arms across his chest and stood his ground. Forester kept on coming, still just as tall, still just as scowly on seeing Jess.

“Well, look who came riding back into town,” he said, staring up at Dean.

“I didn’t come back for a fight with you, Jess,” he replied, crossing his arms in much the same way as they stood toe to toe on the side walk.

“Then I guess it’s a good thing it’s not high noon or anything,” said Jess, a smirk playing at his lips that he couldn’t help.

When he saw Dean start to smile too, it was harder not to crack. It really hadn’t occurred to either of them how insane it would be to still hate each other after twenty years until this moment. Now it seemed like the biggest joke in the world.

“How are you, Jess?” asked Dean, almost sounding genuine.

“Can’t complain,” he replied with a shrug. “You?”

“The same.”

Jess nodded at the reply, not really sure what else to do. It was almost a relief when Dean spoke up again.

“So, you made it work, with Rory, I mean. You stood by her all these years, raised a family... I never thought you would.”

“You really didn’t know me,” said Jess coldly, before going on to add. “Though honestly, I’m as shocked as you are that I made it this far.”

Dean laughed at that one, arms unfolding, whole stance relaxing. Jess followed suit.

“Yeah, I know how that goes,” Dean confessed. “Me and Lindsay, it was tough for a while. You know better than anyone how hard it was for me to move on after Rory, but when we got away from here, things got better. I wouldn’t be back now if it wasn’t for my dad. I guess you heard?”

“Somebody said he was sick.”

Dean nodded. “Cancer.”

“Sorry.”

“Nobody’s fault.”

There was a brief and awkward moment of silence before Jess could think of anything else to say.

“Er, I should get inside,” he said, hiking his thumb over his shoulder. “Responsible adult these days.”

“Me too,” agreed Dean, watching Jess go in through the door. “Thank you.”

Jess stopped half way over the threshold and turned to look at his old adversary, a question in his eyes. Smart as he was, he really did not understand what Forester was thanking him for.

“You’ve made her happy in a way I never could’ve, and to this day, I swear you’re the reason Lindsay gave me another chance after... after what happened. I can’t explain it exactly, but she mentioned something, the day she gave me the ultimatum about our marriage. I’ll never forget it.” 

“Actually, I told Lindsay to cut her losses and divorce you,” said Jess easily, not caring if Dean liked hearing it or not. “I guess she loved you more than I thought.”

“Yeah, I guess sometimes people can do that.” Dean nodded, smiling because they both knew he wasn’t just talking about his own marriage anymore. “See you around, punk,” he said, smirking the way Jess usually did.

“Back at you, Farmer John,” he replied, barely holding in a laugh.

Luke looked suitably amazed by the tail end of the non-confrontation. That just made Jess want to laugh harder.

“Y’know if the wind changes, you’re gonna stick like that,” his nephew told him.

“You never fail to amaze me,” said Luke, shaking his head.

“Then I’m still doing my job.”


	6. Chapter 6

“Jaime, honey, could you maybe put the sketch pad down for a sec?” said Sookie with her best kind and motherly smile.

“Sookie, we always said we would never stifle our kids creativity!” her husband reminded her sharply.

“Jackson, I’m trying to keep charcoal out of the cassoulet and gravy out of Jaime’s artwork, but hey, if you want to mix and match, go right ahead!” she told him, before taking herself back to the kitchen, glass of wine in hand.

They got like this sometimes. The kids never paid any mind because that was just the way mom and dad were. They fought, or more accurately they bickered, and then they made up later, smoothing everything over and being blissfully happy for weeks on end. It was a fairly regular merry-go-round. Davey, Martha, and Jaime never even flinched anymore, just carried on eating dinner or doing whatever else they were doing until the latest drama passed.

Davey glanced up when his father left the table with a clatter of silverware, but continued piling food on his plate the next moment. He ate a lot, though much of it was healthy stuff. He had to maintain his weight for football anyway so nobody minded if he ate twice as much as anybody else. It certainly didn’t seem as if Martha was going to want much the way she was pushing the food around her plate without a single crumb making it to her lips.

“You okay, Mar?” asked her brother around a mouthful of corn.

“Huh? Yeah, sure,” she told him, forcing a smile the moment she realised he was staring across at her. “I’m fine.”

“She’s not,” said Jaime, eyes fixed on her sketch pad still as she expertly shaded her latest picture - an anime style character with a samurai sword and wicked-cool hair. “She’s been mopey all day.”

“How do you know?” asked her older sister too sharply.

“Just because I don’t say much doesn’t mean I’m deaf or blind,” replied Jaime, glancing up at Martha then.

She smiled because it was usually her sister who said those things on her behalf. Martha found a more genuinely happy look then.

“I’m sorry,” she apologised to her little sister and then her older brother in turn. “I am, I’m just... I don’t know, I guess I’m just having one of those ‘life sucks’ days, y’know?”

“Not really,” said Davey, giving the question a lot of serious consideration. “What about your life sucks? We’re the lucky ones, Mar. We’ve got two parents, a whole bunch of family, a roof over our head, good food, all our own teeth-”“I don’t need a run down of all the good points in my life, Davey,” she told him, rolling her eyes dramatically. “God, you have this awful knack for being positive when I could really live without it,” she huffed, throwing down her fork and pushing her chair back from the table.

“Martha!” her brother called after her, but she was up from the table and gone in a second.

Her feet pounding up the stairs got the parents attention. Both emerged from the kitchen looking concerned.

“What happened?” asked Sookie, looking from Jaime to Davey and back.

“Apparently Martha’s life sucks,” said Davey, shrugging his broad shoulders and gulping down half a large glass of fruit juice.

“No, it doesn’t,” said Jaime, finishing off her sketch and admiring it with a smile before finally giving her parents her full attention. “I think she just finally got bored of waiting for that idiot Tramos to notice her.”

“Tramos? Alex Tramos?” said Jackson with a frown. “Those two have been friends for years.”

“The two of them and Jack,” said Sookie, nodding her agreement. “But Martha doesn’t have feelings for Alex. Does she?” she checked with her youngest.

Jaime smiled. 

“Don’t worry about it, Mom,” she told her kindly, getting up from her seat. “I only know because we share a wall. Martha isn’t exactly subtle when she’s practising in front of the mirror. _‘Alex, do you want to go out sometime?’ ‘Hey, Alex, you think maybe we could go to the movies Saturday night... alone?’_ ” she mimicked words she had clearly heard her sister say many times before. “Far as I know she never got up the nerve to actually tell the guy she likes him, and he sure as hell isn’t smart enough to notice.”

“Language, Jaime,” said her father sharply.

“Sorry,” she dutifully replied. “I’m not so hungry,” she said then, grabbing a couple of Sookie’s home-made rolls from the table and heading for the stairs. “I’m gonna go check on, Mar.”

Sookie and Jackson watched their daughter disappear until suddenly a large belch emitted from Davey and took their attention.

“Excuse me?” he said off their appalled expressions, and then he continued eating.

* * *

“Did I tell you Rory is totally up for covering the reunion gig?” said Lane, passing the dish of potatoes to her husband. “She’s pretty sure her boss will love it, since it’s both local and national in its different ways.”

“That’s cool.” Zach nodded, filling his plate. “So long as she writes it good. Rory’s great, but she’s never been as rock ‘n’ roll as you, babe.”

Lane grinned at the compliment, leaning over to plant a kiss on Zach’s cheek. Kwan made a gagging sound and turned away. Steve just rolled his eyes and carried on eating.

“Hey, guess who I saw today?” said Lane smartly, all her attention on Kwan now. “Doula’s back in town.”

“Geez, man, I hoped she was gone for good this time!” her son complained. His twin looked aghast. 

“That’s not a very Christian thing to say.”

“So what?” countered Kwan. “You like her so much, see if you can get her attention. I don’t want it. She’s way too intense, and for somebody who is older than me, she can be a real kid.”

“Seriously?” his mother asked with a gasp. “You think Doula is a kid? She may be fifteen, but you wouldn’t know it to look at her. I would’ve killed to look like that when I was a teenager.”

“You were way hotter, babe. Still are,” her husband assured her.

Lane blushed a little and looked down at her food. Kwan drop his fork noisily onto his plate.

“Could we please change the subject?” he begged. “None of this is good for my digestion.”

“How’s your new student, Mom?” asked Steve helpfully.

“He’s... not bad,” she said with due consideration. “Dax does not lack in enthusiasm and he does have rhythm, he just needs practice and a little guidance, which is what I’m going to give him,” she explained. “I’m not saying he’s ever going to be the world’s greatest drummer, but he’ll be good enough.”

“Never doubted it when he sighed up with you, hon,” said Zach. “And hey, if he works out, he could maybe get an audition for Anarchy’s Child?” he said to Kwan.

“Maybe,” his son considered around a mouthful of chicken. “Of course, we wouldn't be short a beat-master if my brother hadn’t decided he was too good to rock.”

“Not this again,” said Steve with a heavy sigh. “Kwan, I have other interests, get over it. I love that you’re making the band work, that’s great, but I don’t wanna be a part of it.”

“And that’s fine, Steve,” said Lane definitely. “We have always supported you boys in whatever you want to do. Kwan, don’t pressure your brother, it’s not fair,” she advised, though everyone at the table knew she was hurt.

Steve learnt drums from her, aspiring to be as good one day. He could have been too, but decided he did not want to pursue the dream. Lane accepted that he had other priorities. Steve was very into studying and quieter activities these days. Lane couldn’t mind that so much, but she did hate the rift that had occurred between the twins because of it.

“All I’m saying is, would it kill you to stick with the band until we get a replacement?” Kwan asked Steve then. “You just up and left one day, no warning. I still don’t get what that was about, and now you’re gone all the time. I mean, where do you even disappear to? Is it a girl?” he asked, not really expecting that to be true. “Dude, is it a guy?”

Zach’s eyes went comically wide at the implication. He could deal if one of his sons was gay, he supposed, but it wasn’t anything he ever considered until this moment. Lane’s hand landed on his arm, her own expression tense. Either there was about to be a physical altercation or a revelation from Steve. Honestly, she wasn’t sure which she wanted or dreaded more.

“I’m not seeing anybody, of either gender,” her son said eventually, flatware clattering onto the table as he pushed back his chair and took a deep breath. “You wanna know why I don’t want to be a rockstar, Kwan?” he asked his brother crossly, clearly tired of the needling and questioning all of the time.

“I really wanna know,” his brother confirmed.

“Fine.” Steve snapped. “When I’m not here, I’m with Grandma Kim. She’s been helping me. She understands and is actually supportive of the fact... of the fact I’m gonna be a pastor.”

For the first time in as long as anyone could remember, there was completely silence in the Van Gerbig house.

* * *

“That’s the fifth yawn in two minutes,” said Jess, watching Rory in the mirror on the opposite wall of the bedroom.

She smiled because she had almost known he wasn’t as engrossed in his book as he seemed.

“I’ll be done in a sec,” she promised, tapping away on her laptop a moment longer and then finally closing the lid. “And finished,” she declared, tossing her glasses onto the desk. “I couldn’t help it. I got a better idea for the ending and a rewrite was more than necessary. The right words have been going around in my head all evening. It’s no wonder I was no help to Tori with her math.”

A look passed over her husbands face when Rory mentioned their daughter. She couldn’t have said exactly what was wrong, but she knew damn well there was something. Climbing onto the bed beside Jess, she plucked his book from his hands and put it on the night stand, kissing his lips before settling down comfortably beside him.

“Penny for them?” she offered.

Jess rubbed his tired eyes with his free hand, other arm wrapping itself around Rory and pulling her close.

“It’s probably nothing,” he assured her, kissing the top of her head. “I just... I don’t know, I thought I saw Tori talking to a guy today.”

“A guy?” Rory echoed.

“Yeah, some high school kid, I guess, but I never saw him before,” said Jess thoughtfully. “It just made me think is all.”

“No!” his wife groaned. “No, no, not Tori. Please, God, no! It’s awkward enough with Jack and Alison!” she complained, burying her face in Jess’ shoulder.

He smirked some at her over the top reaction. Ever since he ran into Forester this morning, surprising Luke and even himself with his calmness, Jess had thought of telling Rory what happened. In some ways, he thought she would hear all the details about the non-showdown between him and Dean from another source. Clearly either Miss Patty, Babette, and the other gossips had completely missed the lack of altercation, or Rory had just avoided everyone by staying in the house working hard.

“Y’know the whole Jack and Alison thing may not be such a big deal after all,” he said eventually.

Rory’s head came up off his chest so fast that she nearly clocked Jess in the chin. She missed by the narrowest of margins.

“What do you know?” she asked. “Details, Jess, details!” she urged when he was silent for all of two seconds.

“Ever the journalist,” her husband teased her, kissing her lips. “I may have information. What’s it worth to ya?”

“Don’t even take that road with me, Mariano!” she told him, moving out of his arms. “I can hold out on you way longer than you can hold out on me. We proved that in the Great Firefly Debacle of 2009!”

Jess reconsidered his position, both figuratively now and literally later. He sighed and gave in.

“I saw your ex today, the tall one.”

“Oh my God!” Rory gasped. “Please tell me no punches were thrown?” she urged him, hands covering her face until he answered her.

“I’m sorry, did you think we were still seventeen?” he asked her. “No, there was no fighting. I’d like to think that you had a little more faith in thirty eight year old me than that.”

“I do.” Rory sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, I just... My brain goes back to bids on baskets, care packages, and black eyes at Friday Night Dinner.”

“What can I say? We grew up. I actually think Dean may even have grown taller still, but that might’ve been a trick of the light.”

Rory laughed at Jess’ continued obsession with Dean’s height and relaxed a little.

“You guys talked like adults?” she double-checked.

“We did,” Jess nodded. “It was all sickeningly polite and decent. There won’t be any trouble from me and I don’t actually think there will be from him either. If Jack really must align himself with the giant’s spawn, I think we can deal.”

“That’s good,” said Rory happily. “And thank you, for being the grown up I know you can be,” she added, curling into her husband’s side. “Although, it is a little disappointing.”

“Disappointing, how?” asked Jess, barely able to see her face now she was so close.

“Well, as wrong as it probably is for me to say, there’s a thrill that comes with having guys fight over me,” she admitted with a grin. “I guess now that I’m not so young and pretty any more, I shouldn’t expect it.”

She let out a long sigh, like she was so disappointed. Jess knew she was teasing, fishing for compliments. He always knew. Of course, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t bite. Rory thought she was so smart, but she really wasn’t ready for his sudden reaction that had her pinned to the bed, his lips on hers, tongue plundering her mouth. She was moaning in real disappointment by the time he pulled away.

“You know you’re still the most beautiful woman I have ever known, inside and out,” he promised her, leaning down as if to kiss her again but pulling back at the last with a smirk on his lips. “Need me to prove it?”

“It’d only be proper and husbandly for you to,” Rory told Jess, growing tired of waiting and pulling him down on top of her in the next moment.

Jess went willingly, headlong into a moment no sane person would want to get out of. Rory was never in any doubt of how much her husband loved her, but the kind of proof he offered was always something she wanted, even if she didn’t actually need it.


	7. Chapter 7

“You okay there, honey?” asked Lorelai, watching her son move his oatmeal around the bowl without actually eating so much as a spoonful.

“Huh?” said Billy, snapping out of a daze. “Sorry, Mom. I was just... I’m not really hungry.”

The spoon clanked down into the bowl and Lorelai’s eyes widened to comic proportions. She sat down heavily in the chair next to her son, hand grabbing onto his arm.

“Um, no,” she said with all the over-dramatics she could muster, and that was a lot. “No child of mine is ever, ever without an appetite! I mean, sure, with Rory it was a junk food thing, just like her Momma, and you’re my little health-food freak thanks to your father,” she said, all affection even as she insinuated both her husband and son were a little cracked. “But always, always, you two are hungry. If you’re not then... Well, I don’t even know what to think. Next thing y’know the world will be spinning counter clockwise and night will be day!”

“You can stop any time,” said Billy, rolling his eyes, though he was smiling too.

It was impossible not to be amused when Mom rambled like that, especially when she got into one of her crazier moments. Not that it changed his over-riding mood of quietness that went along with the lack of want for breakfast this morning. The truth was, he had been working up to telling his parents something significant for a while now, but never quite found the nerve. Just lately, he thought it was more important than ever, what with the situation going on with Jack and all. Still, no time seemed like the right time.

Luke had gone off to the diner early this morning to take in a delivery, leaving Billy alone with his mom. She was likely to be a little more understanding in this particular circumstance. Not that Billy was afraid to talk to his dad. They got along real well, but there were some things that he was just more comfortable bringing up with one parent and some with the other. He assumed all kids were the same, though Billy didn’t like to talk about feelings and such enough to ever ask anyone else.

“Seriously, hon,” said Lorelai then. “Is something on your mind? Are you feeling sick at all? Give me something to help you with.”

“It’s... it’s nothing,” said Billy eventually shaking his head. “Honestly, I’m not sick, and everything is cool.”

Lorelai wasn’t quite sure she believed him, and yet it wasn’t really in Billy’s nature to lie, especially not to her or Luke. He was very much like Rory that way, a good kid who wanted to do what was best for everyone. He had his grumpy moments, when he was very much Luke’s son, but was mostly of a sunny disposition like his mom and sister. That was why it was so weird and unnatural when he was acting this way.

“Okay, let’s just pretend I believe you for now,” said Lorelai, reaching out to ruffle his hair the way she had since he was small. “Cool moms don’t push, right?”

“Right,” he smirked, even as he straightened his hair back as it had been. “Thanks, mom.”

“No problem, soldier,” she assured him, getting up from her seat. “But, if you wanna talk, ever...”

“I know,” he promised. “You’re gonna be late for work.”

“Perks of being the boss” she said with a grin. “Have a great day at school, kid!”

She was gone in a moment, the front door slamming in her wake. Billy sat back in his seat a minute, running his hands over his face with a sigh. 

“So much for that,” he said to himself. “Maybe tomorrow.”

Billy got up from the table and went into his room to grab his school bag. On his way to the door, he sent a text on his cell, and half way down the drive a beep told him he had a response. With a real genuine smile on his lips for the first time today, Billy looked up and across the street, raising his hand in a wave to the girl waiting out of sight.

* * *

“So, I talked to Mama Kim, and it turns out that Steve has been talking about this whole priesthood thing for quite a while,” said Lane, explaining the whole situation to Rory who sat at the other end of the couch, looked alternately shocked and riveted by the tale. “I mean, I don’t mind. At least I don’t think I do,” Lane frowned. “I’m still processing the actual ‘man of the cloth’ part, it’s the secret keeping I’m having trouble with.”

“Lane, all kids keep secrets,” said Rory with a pointed look. “Seriously, do I have to mention the floorboards? The closet? The clothes and make up and temporary tattoos that you had stashed at my house?”

“I know, I know!” Lane exclaimed, waving her hands in empathetic gestures. “I know I’m the last person to be judging my kids for keeping things from me when I spent more than ten years of my life hiding things from my mother, but this is... I thought we were cool. I thought me and Zach were just the coolest parents, or at least some of the coolest, next to you and Jess, and Luke and Lorelai,” she rattled out so fast any Gilmore girl would’ve been proud of her. “Seriously, we’ve always been so laid back about stuff, encouraged communication. How could Steve not tell us?”

Rory sighed and shook her head.

“I wish I knew,” she said, her looks all compassion as her hand went to Lane’s shoulder. “I guess you were such a rock ‘n’ roll family. Kinda like the Osbournes with less cussing, and drama, and drugs, and... Well, okay, not so much like the Osbournes, but you know what I mean. Maybe Steve was feeling a little like the odd one out?”

“But I don’t want him to feel that way,” said Lane sadly. “I never ragged on him for quitting drums. Sure, it hurt, but I wanted him to be happy any way he could. Now it turns out being the person Mrs Kim dreamed of me being for too many years is exactly what makes Steve happy. It’s so weird.”

“Yes, weird and unlikely,” Rory considered. “But also cool. I mean, you’re a Christian. A rock ‘n’ roll Christian, but still. You raised the boys in that faith, and now Steve wants to really embrace it. He wants to help people and dedicate his life to a cause that really means something to him. That’s pretty incredible.”

She smiled and Lane couldn’t help but smile too. She hadn’t really stopped to think of it like that. Mostly Lane had focused on the downsides, the things that Steve wouldn’t have as a pastor, plus the fact he had felt he couldn’t talk to her or Zach about his decision. Now Rory was helping her see the brighter side of this whole thing. Steve had found a vocation in life. At fourteen, he knew what he wanted to do with his future, and it was something good and honest, something that would help make the world a nicer place.

“Y’know Lewis Carroll was a priest,” said Rory thoughtfully.

“I heard that” Lane agreed. “And y’know Alice Cooper’s father was a lay preacher.”

“And Dusty Springfield fell in love with the son of a preacher man,” added Rory, unable to say it as dead-pan as she planned.

A smile pulled at her lips and Lane laughed at the stupid joke, as well as the look of repressed amusement on Rory’s face.

“Y’know, Jess and his smirking habit might be rubbing off on you.”

“After twenty years, what do you expect?” said Rory, shrugging her shoulders. “I’m just glad that in all this time he and Dean have both grown up enough not to go all Rocky vs Apollo when they see each other.”

“That is a good thing.” Lane nodded her agreement. “Have you seen Dean yet?”

“From a ways away,” her friend told her with the strangest smile. “It’s so weird to see him now. Even after me and Jess got together the second time, when I was carrying Jack, there was always... I don’t know there was a feeling, like a little piece of what I used to feel for Dean was still inside of me for a long time. I would never have done anything about it, I never wanted to. It was like saying ‘I love chocolate’. You mean it when you say it and it’s totally true, but if it was a choice between a chocolate bar and your husband?”

“No contest,” said Lane definitely, knowing that was as true for Rory as it was for her. “So, you craved Dean like a candy bar?”

“Kind of, in a way,” Rory considered. “But the fact is when I saw him the other day, nothing. Not even the slightest feeling of anything. Well, maybe a little vague nostalgia for my sixteen year old self.”

“She was cute.”

“Hair was always shiny, and she never gained weight.”

Lane snorted at that. 

“Yeah, because you’re just huge now,” she said flatly, looking Rory over. “I’ve eaten burgers at Luke’s that had more meat on them.”

Rory blushed as she was still want to do when any compliment was paid to her by anyone, even at the age of thirty eight.

“Blessed with the Gilmore metabolism,” she noted. “I never expected to be this lucky after two kids.”

“Sometimes I can’t even believe we’re both old enough to have two kids each, and teenagers!” Lane exclaimed loudly. “Five minutes ago, we were teenagers.”

“And now you have one son trying to be Chuck Berry and the other Chuck O’Malley, whilst my son has his first date with Dean’s daughter on Saturday night. Life’s funny, isn’t it?” she said with the widest dumbest grin on her face on purpose.

“Oh yeah, hilarious,” she agreed, as they clinked coffee cups.

* * *

“Taylor, I really don’t care if your ice-cream is made by fairies from Middle Earth, I’m not putting advertising for it in my diner!” insisted Luke, loudly so that they could probably hear him across town.

“Well, now you’re just being ridiculous,” said the Town Selectman huffily. “All I was saying is that my ice-cream is of a high quality, more now than ever since I switched suppliers, and I don’t think it would hurt for us, as fellow businessmen and adjoining stores, to do a little shared advertising. It’s for our mutual benefit, Luke.”

“How? How is it for our mutual benefit? People come in my diner to eat. Why would I want to send them some place else to do that?”

“You don’t serve ice-cream, Luke. You serve burgers, fries, greasy things that might be helped down the throat by a nice cool, smooth ice-cream dessert.”

“I serve desserts. I have pie.”

“Hardly the same thing,” Taylor tutted, shaking his head. “In any case-”

“Um, Mr Doose?” said a small voice. “I’m so sorry to interrupt but we’re all out of nickels in the cash register.”

Taylor and Luke turned as one to look at the young girl behind the counter of the soda shoppe, both a little thrown by the interruption. Not that Luke was sorry to have the fighting stop. He enjoyed railing at Taylor but sometimes when he was being particularly insufferable, it was just best somebody stopped them before he put the guy through a wall, or the window between the stores maybe.

“Belinda, why didn’t you mention this sooner?!” Taylor asked his sales assistant crossly. “How many times do I have to impress upon you, when any of the change compartments reaches a ten percent level, that is when you report it to me for replenishment?”

“I’m sorry, sir,” Belinda said politely. “I’ll try to remember next time.”

“See that you do that, young lady,” said Taylor sharply, still muttering to himself as he headed out back to the safe for more nickels.

Luke let out a long breath, leaning hevaily on the counter. Belinda smiled.

“I thought you might appreciate the break so you could escape,” she told him.

“Thank you for that,” said Luke, smiling right back at her. “Belinda... Aren’t you John Pressley’s kid?”

“That would be me,” she said, nodding her head. “He mentions you sometimes, how you guys used to go fishing together back in the day.”

“Back in the day is right,” Luke nodded, remembering how long it really was. “Wow, it’s gotta be... Well, we were no more than your age back then. I mean, you’re probably around fifteen or sixteen, right?”

“Actually, I’m seventeen,” she clarified. “My sister, Tara, is fifteen.”

“Right. Well, I appreciate the help today, Belinda,” he said then, turning to go. “Tell your father I said ‘hi’.”

“I will. Have a nice day, Mr Danes.”

“You too, Belinda.”

Luke headed back around to the diner, literally bumping into Lorelai on the doorstep.

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be in there?” she joked, right before he kissed her hello.

“It’s where I’m headed,” he agreed, opening the door for her like a gentleman.

“Well, good. I don’t know who else can pour my coffee just the way I like it.”

They went inside together and Lorelai took a seat on a stool by the counter. Luke wasted no time in pouring his wife a large cup full of coffee that she was as grateful for today as any other. She happened to glance at the window to Taylor’s soda shoppe as she drank, and frowned when she realised some teenage girl was waving at her.

“Um, okay,” she said, waving back. “Luke, honey, why am I waving at this girl?”

“Apart from because she waved at you first?” he countered with a smile at his own joke.

“Okay, why is this lovely little girl waving at me?” Lorelai tried again.

“I was just talking to her. She actually saved Taylor’s life just now.”

“Isn’t that punishable by stoning?”

“Not officially,” Luke dead-panned. “Her name is Belinda Pressley” he explained of the girl next door. “Her dad and I used to go fishing together when we were kids. Anyway, she distracted Taylor so I could leave before something unfortunate happened.”

“Unfortunate like Taylor ending up head first in one of his barrels of candy?”

“That’d be unfortunate?”

“For the kids who want to buy that kind of candy.”

“Very true.”

“So, Belinda seems friendly, sweet. Disturbingly pretty too.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” said Luke, causing his wife to look at him with wide eyes. “No, not like that. Lorelai! I was thinking of Billy.”

“Billy? And Belinda? Oh, like a set up?” said Lorelai, finally getting it. “Luke Danes, you old softy. You wanna match make our son with the soda shoppe girl?”

“Why not? I mean, you know how much I want him to concentrate on his studies and everything, but at the same time, I’m not sure it’s normal how little interest he seems to have in... y’know, girls.”

“Yes, I do know girls. Oddly enough, I used to be one,” said Lorelai with a grin. “Raised one too, as a matter of fact. Of course, now I’m raising a son that has recently gone all distant and weird, and oh my God, Luke!” she said suddenly grabbing is arm.

“What?” he asked worriedly, taking in her own freaked out expression and tone.

“Billy already has someone,” she said as she thought about it. “Think about it, he’s being secretive and quiet. He wants to be at the diner all the time, not home, not anywhere else. Oh my... it’s a regular customer, or someone he can see from the window or...”

“Lorelai, you’re getting ahead of yourself,” Luke told her, his hand over hers at his arm. “How do you even know Billy is dating anyone? Besides, he would tell us if he were.”

“Would he? I never told my parents anything.”

“We are not the Gilmores,” said Luke firmly.

“No, but that doesn’t always make a difference. Kids don’t always talk about things, not when they’re teenagers. Surely you remember being a teenager!”

“Of course, but... Well, yeah, I guess all teens keep secrets.”

“Jess sure was a secretive one. Rory could be too when she really wanted to be. They share genetics with Billy, both of them!” she reminded her husband with real agitation in her voice.

Luke took a moment to think over the points she had made. Maybe Billy had got a secret, and maybe that secret was a girl. Luke was ninety nine percent that if there was a person in his son’s life it was a girl and not a guy. There was an incident with a certain magazine found in the bathroom that cleared up that question. Still, for Billy to have a girlfriend and not tell him or Lorelai, it seemed strange. It could explain why he wanted to hang out in the diner so much. There were girls from the high school that came in on a fairly regular basis, plus those that he would see through the window in the soda shoppe.

“Belinda,” he said suddenly.

“Again?” said Lorelai, craning her neck to look through the glass, half expecting another wave-fest.

“No, I mean, what if she’s the girl Billy is dating?” he suggested. “If he is dating someone, and you think he wants to be at the diner to see her, they’re right next door, able to see each other through the window. Plus, it might explain why she suddenly did me a favour today.”

“Get in good with the parents for when the big secret comes out!” agreed Lorelai with enthusiasm, proud of them both for cracking this case wide open. “Hey, aren’t we just Nick and Nora today, putting all the evidence together?”

“It’s a theory, Lorelai. Not concrete,” Luke pointed out to her. “And I don’t think we should mention any of this to Billy. He’ll tell us in his own time. If we confront him wanting answers, demanding information, it’s only going to send the message that talking to us leads to confrontation.”

“Good thinking, Dr Phil,” Lorelai nodded. “Well, in the meantime, could I get a burger... and fries... Ooh, and pie!”

Luke smiled at her fondly, leaning over the counter to kiss her lips.

“Y’know I love you as much now as the day I married you, Mrs Danes,” he told her. “Maybe even more actually.”

“Mmm, the service here is very good,” she said, grinning as she claimed another kiss.

Though Rory and Jess were grown with teens of their own and Billy was entering the age of dating too, Lorelai and Luke never did feel old. After all this time, they felt young and in love more often than they didn’t, and it was one of the best feelings in the world.


	8. Chapter 8

“This is... Well, it’s kind of a big deal, right?” said Rory, wringing her hands.

“Not so big.” Jess shrugged, sitting at the kitchen table and typing away on his laptop like any normal evening. “I already told you, me and Andre the Giant are just fine with everything. No threatening, no punching, not even a sarcastic barb thrown. Jack and Alison can date, the world will not implode.”

“I know,” his wife agreed, walking over to the kitchen doorway and stepping out to peer up the stairs before returning again.

She had done this six times in the last five minutes and Jess couldn’t take the pacing anymore. He closed down the lid of his computer, turned in his seat, and caught Rory by the waist on her next fly by.

“Hey. What’s up with you?” he checked. “You’re so nervous, anybody would think you had a date with the hottest chick in school,” he smirked.

Rory rolled her eyes.

“It’s a big deal, Jess!” she reminded him, even as she allowed herself to be pulled into his embrace and sat down in his lap. “This is our son going on a date. You do realise that hasn’t happened before. I mean never, ever. He’s been to a couple of school dances and a few parties, but with Alex and Martha, a group of friends. This is the very first time he has been out alone with a girl on an official date!”

All of this she said quickly, as a Gilmore was wont to do, and in a half-whisper, since she was mindful of Jack or Tori hearing her. Jess didn’t want to find Rory amusing right now, but it was tough not to. He wasn’t really seeing why it was quite such a revelation that Jack was going on a date. It wasn’t so surprising it had taken him this long. The guy was pretty shy and all, much like Rory when she was younger. If anything, Jess was proud of the guy for finally making a move with somebody, especially when he was apparently head-over-heels for Forester’s daughter. It was a big deal asking out a girl you really genuinely liked, but Jess wasn’t sure why Rory was getting so crazy about it.

“Unless you plan on going with them as chaperone, Ror, I think you have to calm down and just let them have their date,” he advised. “It’s a movie, maybe dinner after, and all in the safety of Stars Hollow. Not exactly a wild night.”

Rory sighed and blew her bangs off her forehead. “I know, I just... You talked to him, right?”

“Talked to him?” Jess echoed, not sure where she was going with this.

“You know!” she exclaimed, even though it ought to be clear from the look on his face that her husband had no idea. “The talk. The talk!” she emphasized through gritted teeth.

Jess’ eyes went very wide.

“Geez, Ror!” he exclaimed, all but throwing her out of his lap as he suddenly stood up. “It’s his first date with the first girl he has had any kind of feelings for, and you want me to spring the sex talk on him?” he asked, starting out loud but having the decency to lower his voice by the end, mindful of the kids overhearing any of this. “I think we raised him to not try anything close to that on a first date.”

“I know that,” she countered. “But this is where it starts. The whole yawning-and-stretching thing in the movie theatre, and kissing goodnight, and... stuff.”

“Oh yeah, stuff, that’s pretty serious,” he teased, before taking pity on her. “Rory, I promise, I will talk to Jack about... stuff, when the time comes,” he assured her, using her words on purpose. “For now, if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll remind him about treating his date like a lady or whatever. That good enough?”

“Yes, thank you,” she said, smiling as she put her arms up round his neck and pulled him close enough to kiss. “You’re such a good man, Jess Mariano. I ever tell you that?”

“Once or twice,” he noted with a smile of his own. “You do know that this talk I have to have with Jack, you’re the one that has to have it with Tori sometime?”

“Already done,” she said easily, kissing his lips.

Jess looked astounded when she pulled away.

“Are you serious?”

“Serious? About talking to Tori? Of course.”

“She’s fourteen, Rory!”

“And a young woman, Jess. Girls mature way faster than boys, and they have... well, drastic puberty changes, and it all ties in. I gave her the 411 a while back, from monthly cycles to condom use, via proper self defence against any boy that doesn’t understand the word ‘no’. She took it pretty well.”

Jess stared after Rory for a long moment after she was gone from his sight. Sometimes he wondered if she would ever stop surprising him, even after all these years. Apparently the answer to that was no. Not that he objected to his daughter being aware of the ways of the world, or moreover the ways of teenage boys. Having been one himself, Jess knew only too well how persuasive they could be. There was no way in hell he wanted some little punk putting the moves on his baby girl. Maybe when she was forty and married, but not before. Jess knew it made him an enormous hypocrite, even as he headed up the stairs to go talk to Jack about proper first date behaviour, but he just couldn’t help it.

* * *

The song came to a crashing end, Kwan thrashing the hell out of his bass as the drum track hit the cymbal smashing close of its recording. Doula clapped her hands like a crazed seal at the circus, whooping and whistling for good measure. Shelley tried not to smirk at the display.

“How’s it feel to have the full-on one-woman fan club back in your life, Kwan?” she asked him as he turned her way.

“She’s such a kid, man,” he said, shaking his head. “And yet, a year older than me. Go figure!”

“You said you liked older women,” said Peter with a look.

Kwan glared at him, glad that Shelley was paying more attention to her guitar right now than to the boys conversation. Sure, he liked older women, but not girls like Doula who were way too eager to please. There were any number of chicks at school that liked to hang around Kwan, and he enjoyed the attention, but Doula was beyond intense. Besides, one of the major things Kwan enjoyed about band practice, beyond the rocking out obviously, was spending some time with Shelley. She was his kind of older woman. Unfortunately, she was pretty clear on the fact that a nine year age gap where the woman was older and the guy was not yet fifteen, was so not rock and roll! Somehow that only made Kwan want her all the more, even if Uncle Gil would kill him for saying so. Good thing he was never likely to find out.

“Aren’t they awesome?” said Doula, looking to Tori for agreement. “Especially Kwan.”

“D, you do know he has no interest in you whatever, right?” said Tori with a grin. “He’s never going to date you,” she stated plainly, looking up from her book.

They watched the band retune and discuss which song to play next, and Doula got a thoughtful look on her face. She wasn’t stupid, Tori knew that, but Doula believed very forcefully in actions being louder than words, and doing before thinking being the only way to really live. Tori didn’t entirely get the philosophy, but it must be nice to look like Doula did and just not care what anybody thought about you. To have parents that let you do whatever, whenever without a care.

“I think that’s why he’s so attractive,” Doula mused, staring intently at Kwan as she twirled a piece of her blonde hair around and around her finger. “So, what’s the deal with you, Tor, any guys on the horizon for my little niece?” she teased her, poking Tori in the side until she laughed and slapped her hand away.

“You really have to not call me that, Aunt Doula,” she joked right back.

It was kind of weird how they were barely six months apart in age and yet by blood were aunt and niece. Their family tree was just that wacky, which was why most of the time the kids all just called themselves cousins when introductions were made to outsiders. Unless of course they wanted to cause confusion and general uproar. Sometimes that was fun too.

“Um, well, there might be one guy,” said Tori eventually, though her eyes were mostly back in her book. “I don’t know, it’s not like I’m actually going to date him or anything.”

“Is he hot?” asked Doula, turning on the old couch they were perched on to better face Tori.

“You do know there is a little more to some guys than their looks, right, D?”

“Unfortunately, very few have more to offer than that.” 

Tori opened her mouth to argue that point, but changed her mind. Doula had more experience of guys than she did, so Tori would take her word on it. Besides, she supposed it was the same for both genders. Some people may not be conventionally attractive but they were really cool when you got to know them. It had to work the other way around too, that all some people had going for them was their looks. That wasn’t true of Dax though, at least Tori was pretty sure.

“If I tell you this, you can’t tell anybody, okay?” she told Doula, who dutifully ‘crossed her heart and hoped to die’, as Tori leaned in closer and dropped her voice to a whisper. “There’s this guy that Aunt Lane is teaching drums. He says his name is Dax, which is clearly not the name his parents gave him, but whatever. Anyway, he is cute, and he seems cool. I don’t know, I just... I like him, I guess. It’s not like we’ve spent a whole bunch of time together or anything, and he hasn’t asked me out or even suggested he likes me, but yeah, I guess you could say he’s on the horizon, maybe.”

Doula squealed happily, moving to hug Tori tightly. It was so unexpected, she didn’t really hug back and almost dropped Anna Karenina in the moment.

“I love that you’re having your first crush! And at the same time as your brother, from what I hear,” said Doula with a grin. “Y’know everybody is talking about the whole Jack and Alison thing. Some of the stories about my bro and that Forester guy are pretty wild.”

“Yeah, he and Dad fought over my mom for a while, so she said.” Tori nodded, abandoning her book now because apparently she wasn’t going to get the chance to go back to it, and it she didn’t actually mind at all. “That has to be a pretty cool feeling.”

“Oh yeah,” said Doula knowingly. “It’s very cool.”

The band finished another song. The girls had been paying such little attention, they couldn’t have said if it was The White Stripes or Whitesnake, but they applauded none the less and told Anarchy’s Child they were awesome. After all, they were here to be supportive, or they were supposed to be.

“I think the girls are mistaking band practice for a slumber party,” said Peter with a look.

“Chill, Ryman. Just let them hang,” said Shelley, rolling her eyes. “Once in a while, it’s cool to know you can make good background music. Besides, this a practice, not a gig at the Budokan.”

“Hey, I’m totally paying attention!” Doula protested, even though it was an all-out lie. “Kwan, how about that Jet song that I like? The one R-Kaden covered last month?”

“Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” asked Kwan, without even thinking.

“You know I would if I thought you were serious.” Doula winked saucily.

Tori couldn’t help the burst of laughter that escaped her lips at the blatant trick and how easily Kwan fell for it. The rest of the band barely had straight faces themselves, but all attention was soon taken by a crash by the door. Martha appeared a second later, looking somewhat embarrassed to have made such an entrance.

“I misjudged the corner,” she said defensively. “Or possibly the trash can has moved.”

“Hey, Martha!” Doula greeted her happily. “Come sit. We were just talking about your BFF and the new girl in town. You got the goss on that?” she asked, shifting to the right and encouraging Tori further down the other end of the couch.

Martha stomped over and threw herself in the space they had made for her, blowing her bangs off her forehead with a force.

“Gossip on Jack? I know nothing,” she huffed. “He doesn’t talk to me about dating, only to Alex. Which is just great, because that means neither of them are really talking to me,” she said sarcastically. “I love being best friends with guys who ignore me, it’s awesome!”

“It’s not like that, Mar,” Tori sympathised. “I think sometimes, maybe, they just think of you as one of the guys.”

“Which I’m totally cool with when it comes to Jack, you know that,” she said easily. “Seriously, I never wanted to be anything more than friends with him. That would be majorly weird, but Alex...”

She sighed heavily, one hand reaching into her pocket and producing a pear that she bit down hard on. Doula watched her eat hungrily and made a face. Martha ate when she was sad, and the girl had some self-esteem issues that had very little to do with the little extra weight she carried. Somehow she just seemed to convince herself she was useless and pointless much of the time. It was completely untrue, but that didn’t stop Martha from feeling that way. Doula had heard her mom call it ‘middle child syndrome’ when talking to Uncle Luke. Shaking her head, she put her hand on Martha’s arm and got her attention.

“If you like Alex so much, you should let him know it.”

“D has a point,” said Tori, nodding her head. “Couldn’t hurt to tell him that-”

“No, no, no, no!” Doula cut in fast. “There will be no telling the guy you like him, that’s not how this is done. You have to let him know in other ways. Subtle ways.”

“Yeah, ‘cause you think Doula, you think subtle,” muttered Kwan, hearing everything as the band took a break.

“Honey, you so wouldn’t want me any other way,” she told him, sticking out her tongue, before turning her attention back to Martha. “See, some guys are just oblivious, blind to what’s going on. You’re a catch, Martha Bellville, and of all people, Alex should know that. Y’know, I never understood this look you have going on. A little imaginative make up, fix your hair some, maybe put you in a shirt that was actually meant for a girl... You have real potential for Class A hottie status,” she said with a grin.

“Is she kidding?” Martha asked Tori around a mouthful of fruit.

Her friend tried to ignore the tiny spots of juice firing out in eight directions.

“Have you ever known D to kid about a makeover?”

Martha took a moment to consider. Maybe it was time for a new look. If it would get Alex to sit up and take notice, it had to be a good thing. After all, nothing else was working, and she was going nuts lately just standing by and watching him drool over every other girl in school and never her.

“Okay,” she said eventually. “How do we do this?”

* * *

“I’m sorry the movie wasn’t all that great,” said Jack as he and Alison exited the Black, White and Red. “I probably should’ve taken you to something new, I just figured maybe you’d like the whole vintage thing.”

“No, it was... fun,” said Alison, forcing a smile.

Jack wasn’t sure what he had been thinking when he took her to see The Slipper and the Rose. He just thought being a girl who appreciated Austen and Bronte, she might like the romance and music of the Cinderella tale. It seemed like a decent choice for a date, nothing inappropriate that could get him a slap in the face, and nothing gory that would freak her out, yet every time he looked over at Alison in the theatre, she just seemed bored. Jack daren’t admit that he actually really liked the movie himself. He would hardly come off so manly after that kind of confession, and surely that was what he was supposed to be going for here.

“Um, we could go get dinner, if you want?” he offered, checking his watch. “It’s still pretty early.”

Alison looked uncertain. She pulled her cell from her purse and messed around with it a while. Jack almost thought she hadn’t heard him speak or something. He watched her a moment as they walked down the street, unsure whether he was supposed to put his arm around her or offer her his jacket in case she was cold. Alison smiled at something on her cell screen and then pushed it back into her purse.

“Sorry. My friends were just checking in with me. Wanting to know if we’re having a good time.”

“What did you tell them?” asked Jack, almost afraid of what they answer was going to be.

“The truth”, said Alison with a smile. “The movie wasn’t exactly my taste, but the company is pretty great.”

Jack was just taking in the compliment when Allison grabbed his hand and encouraged his arm around her shoulders. She leaned in close as they continued walking, speaking softly about being a little chilly, as if that were the only reason for getting closer to him. Jack was barely listening. He was just thrilled to know he wasn’t screwing up such an important night, not just his first date with Alison, but essentially his first date ever.

“So, you hungry?” he asked her then. “Because there are a lot of options for dinner. The diner is good, but it belongs to my grandpa and my dad. That means a discount but... well, it’s a little embarrassing.”

“You’re not embarrassed of me, are you?” asked Alison, looking up at him through her long lashes.

“No, no,” he told her quickly. “Not at all, I just... Well, taking a girl to meet your folks on a first date is probably a little weird, right?”

“Right,” she agreed on balance. “Well, where else is good?”

Jack began listing all the eateries in Stars Hollow, including their high and low points. Alison seemed like she was listening, though in truth she was just waiting for him to name the place she already picked out before she ever agreed to this date. There was no way she was slumming in a pizza joint or agreeing to take outs eaten in the gazebo. She wanted a real restaurant with decent food, and she let Jack know it the moment he spoke of the quaint little Italian on Peach.

Jack didn’t argue, even though he knew he was about to blow a huge chunk of allowance on this date. Alison was worth it. She was as beautiful close up as she was at a distance. She knew books and movies, and when she laughed it was like the most beautiful bells going off in Jack’s head. He didn’t know for sure what falling in love felt like, but this felt like every description he ever read in some of the best books he had ever known.

After dinner, Alison said it was nearing her curfew, and that maybe Jack should walk her home. He realised about a half a block from her house that he was having to make a concerted effort not to shake with nerves. The first date had gone well, no doubt, but one part remained that he wasn’t entirely ready for. Some girls said they didn’t kiss on the first date, that’s what his dad had told him, but Jess had also told Jack that if you do a first date right, most girls pretty much always do. Jack had smiled and said that was cool, but honestly he just really hoped that if a kissing opportunity happened he handled it okay. He would be mortified if he screwed it up. His sweaty palms and jangling nerves that seemed almost audible, proved he was not at all confident.

“Well, this is me,” said Alison as they reached the gate.

“Yeah, this is where I picked you up,” replied Jack, pushing his hair back off his face and smiling a little too much.

Alison batted her pretty eyelashes and stepped in a little closer.

“I had a great night, Jack,” she told him. “Really, I did.”

“Me too,” he replied, swallowing hard, hands in his pockets because right now he really wasn't sure what else to do with them. “Er, maybe sometime we could do it again? Another movie, but your choice next time, or something else if you want?”

“We’ll figure something out,” said Alison, her eyes flitting to the house.

Jack followed her gaze and noticed the drapes moving at the front window. He didn't have time to think about what that meant when suddenly he felt Alison's hand at the back of his neck and he was pulled into a searing kiss. Jack hadn't really been given the chance to breathe or even react at all, and just when he was getting his bearings, the moment was over. Alison was hurrying down the driveway to her front door, and all Jack could do was stare after her in shock.

“Okay then,” he said to himself as soon as the breath returned to his body.

With nothing else left to do, he headed for home.


	9. Chapter 9

“Come on, you gotta give me something!” said Tori as she and Jack headed towards the diner together. “The whole town is talking about the big date, and I, as your sister should at least get the real facts that the rest of the denizens of our fair town are dying to be privy to!”

Jack laughed at the way she worded it, and the fact that his love life was of such interest to his little sister. Tori wasn’t digging for anything indecent, because that would be weird, she just wanted to be ahead of the curve. At home, Jack kept the details to the barest minimum, unwilling to be too forthcoming in front of his parents. He was all for sharing and being open with mom and dad, but his first kiss was his thing and he didn’t really want the whole family hearing it, never mind the whole town.

“What do you want from me, Toria?” he asked her, holding open the diner door for her to walk through.

“I want to hear just a little more than ‘we had a great time’,” she said definitely. “Like, for example, did you say that you would call her? Did she say you two should do it again some time? Concrete details, Jack. We’re siblings, I deserve that much.”

It wasn’t that she was massively interested in what Jack had done on his date, but Tori would like to know if he intended to continue seeing Alison or not. She was his sister, she had rights!

“Okay, fine!” he said, huffing out a sigh as they grabbed a table by the window. “She didn’t exactly love the movie, but dinner went okay. She said she had fun, I walked her home, and yes, there was talk of a second date. You happy now?”

“Ecstatic,” Tori dead-panned. “Seriously, she dissed The Slipper and the Rose? That movie is classic!”

“Not everybody has the same taste, Toria,” her brother reminded her, raising a hand to Billy behind the counter.

He signalled he would be right over and joined them within a minute, drinks in his hands to pass to his ‘cousins’.

“Eggs and bacon twice?” he checked.

“Actually, can I have pancakes today? Blueberry maybe?” asked Tori hopefully.

“Comin’ right up,” Billy assured her, diving back towards the counter.

“He’s here again? Before school?” said Jack, watching him go. “That’s not normal, right?”

“Um, I dunno,” his sister considered, sipping her coffee. “I mean, Billy works shifts, so sometimes after school, some weekends, and I guess some week day mornings now? Come to think of it, he is here a lot lately. Is he saving money for something?”

“Not that he told me, and I didn’t hear Mom or Dad mention anything like that,” said Jack. “Also, you know Grandma Lorelai or Grandpa Luke would’ve mentioned if he were working off some punishment or other.”

“Very true,” agreed Tori, just as Billy returned with three plates of food, expertly balanced on his hands and forearms.

“Breakfast for the Marianos!” he declared, handing them each their food and then pulling out the third chair to sit down and eat his own meal. “Marianos that are staring at me like I have three heads,” he noted as he glanced at both their faces. “What’s up?”

“That’s kind of what we were going to ask you?” said Jack. “You workin’ overtime for a reason, Billy?” he asked, shoving a forkful of eggs into his mouth.

“I work for money and to help out my dad,” he said, eyes on his plate as he shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

Tori and Jack shared a look. There was something going on here, they just couldn’t tell what exactly that something was yet. One of them was bound to figure it out before long, or maybe they would just used their patented tag team approach to get the secret out of Billy. He cracked pretty easily if you knew the right questions to ask and comments to make. Unfortunately, Tori and Jack never got the chance to try and prize the truth from Billy as he looked right by them to the door, eyes going wide at the sight of who just walked in.

“Martha?” he checked, almost unable to believe his eyes.

Tori turned when Jack did though she already knew what she was going to see. Doula had really put her all into giving the Bellville’s eldest daughter the ultmate makeover. Highlights in her hair, lessons in good make up use, and some tweaking of the wardrobe was all it really took to get Martha looking stunning. As Doula has said, Mar had a good base to work from, a decent figure and a pretty face, she just needed to make the most of it and learn to have confidence in herself. Tori was all for giving her friend a little push to hold her head up and smile more. She was such a great person and really nothing like the picture Martha had of herself in her own head, which as far as Tori could tell was some overweight, undeveloped troll or similar.

“Geez, Martha!” Jack exclaimed at the sight of her. “What did you do?”

Tori smacked him in the shoulder for the comment, watching Martha’s face drop in a second.

“I didn’t mean... I mean, you look great,” said Jack awkwardly. “I wasn’t... Uh, you look... great,” he repeated, feeling very weird about having to admit it.

He never looked at Martha and saw a girl he could fall for or feel attracted to in that kind of way. It was still true, but she did look nice this way. It was kind of like trying to compliment his sister without sounding like an idiot. Jack was pretty bad at that too. Tori felt so bad on realising his problem that she almost apologised for hitting him.

“Mar, what my suddenly inarticulate brother is trying to tell you is that you look amazing!” she promised her friend, encouraging her to come sit down with the rest of them. “Alex is going to flip.”

“Alex?” echoed Billy, looking between the girls. “You did this for Tramos?”

“Damn. I wondered if this was going to happen sometime soon,” said Jack then, turning his attention back to his breakfast.

Martha’s eyes went comically wide only he missed the expression completely.

“You knew?!” she exclaimed, her voice jumping up so many octaves, a dog howled two streets away.

Tori’s free hand went to the ear nearest Martha as she winced horribly at the exclamation.

“That you’ve been in love with Alex since the third grade?” asked Jack with a smirk that proved beyond any doubt who his father was. “Yeah, given that I’m not blind or stupid, I knew,” he confirmed “Of course, Alex has no idea. Poor guy seems ready to drool over any girl that walks by except for you,” he told Martha. “And Toria, of course,” he added, looking sideways at his sister. “But only because he knows I would kick his ass to the moon if he so much as looked at you wrong.”

“Believe me, I have no interest in Alex Tramos,” said Tori definitely, around an unreasonably large mouthful of pancakes. “Martha, he is all yours.”

“If that were true, I’d be a lot happier,” she admitted, blowing her highlighted bangs off her concealered and bronzed forehead. “You guys really do think I look okay, right?” she doubled-checked. “I don’t want to make an idiot of myself in school.”

“You look good,” Billy promised her. “Not that you usually look bad, just so you know.”

“You’re sweet, Billy. Thanks,” she told him with a smile. “I just want to go already, just start the day so I don’t sit here giving myself a panic attack.”

Her hand strayed onto Tori’s plate and stole one of her stack of pancakes, shoving a large piece into her mouth and chewing furiously on it. Tori opened her mouth to complain but changed her mind fast. Poor Martha, she was really freaking out. It wasn’t as if Tori had no idea how it felt to be kind of overwhelmed by a guy. Dax sure did seem to have the strangest effect on her, and she had only talked to him twice so far.

“Well, I guess we could all head in,” she suggested, shoving another forkful of pancake into her mouth for good measure - wasting them would just be wrong.

“Er, you guys go,” said Billy. “I’ll catch you later.”

His eyes flitted to the other side of the diner or maybe to the window, it was hard for the others to tell. Certainly he was focusing elsewhere and the fact he wanted to hang here a little longer just reminded Jack and Tori that something weird was going on with Billy. Since Martha was already at the door waiting to leave, it seemed now wasn’t the time when they were going to find out for sure what it was, but it would all come out later. These things always did, especially in their family.

* * *

“Dragonfly Inn,” said Lorelai cheerfully as she answered the reception phone.

“Hey, Lorelai.”

“April!” she exclaimed at the sound of her step-daughter’s voice. “Hey, honey. How are you? How was Christmas with the in-laws?”

April laughed at the phrasing.

“They’re not the in-laws yet,” she pointed out.

“No, but the rock on your finger that in a former life sunk the Titanic proves that they will be soon,” said Lorelai knowingly.

“That is true,” April was forced to agree. “Paul’s family are the same as always. His parents are great, his sister, Bernice, is a blast. Older brother, Joe, can’t get through a conversation without making at least eight lewd comments.”

“A special skill,” noted Lorelai

“An unwelcome skill,” her step-daughter corrected with distaste. “And then there’s younger brother, Alan, who barely talks at all, but he stares.”

“Well, you’re a beautiful young woman,” Lorelai told her, not missing a beat. “You can’t blame him.”

“Your delusions never fail to make me smile.”

“I would argue with that, but I made you smile so yay me. So Christmas good?”

“It was great,” April assured her. “I really don’t care what Paul’s family does or doesn’t think of me. He’s the one I’m going to spend my life with.”

“That he is.” Lorelai smiled widely, unable to help it. “And Paul-Not-A-Girl is more than worthy.”

“I can’t believe you’re still calling him that,” said April, trying not to find it funny but that proved impossible.

“Only because your father still calls him that,” said Lorelai defensively.

“How are we not past the whole Lesley debacle by now?”

“Honey, you can’t blame your dad for not being a progressive. In Luke’s head, girls date boys, end of sentence. You were dating Leslie, who must've been a guy. The long blonde hair, killer heels, and boobs I was totally jealous of were kind of a surprise.”

“I know.” April sighed. “He is kind of old-fashioned that way, but I figured he would understand that kids experiment in college, and whilst I have come to realise that I definitely prefer riding the heterosexual bus, sexuality is a very fluid thing for some people.”

“I hear ya, babe.” Lorelai smiled. “And y’know, as shocked as Luke was, he was always very polite to Lesley.”

“I remember. He’s always been cool about accepting stuff. Rory tells me all the time how great he was when she got pregnant.”

“Yeah, that was a drama,” said Lorelai, remembering it all a little too clearly in that moment. Her mind made the next logical leap and her free hand gripped the desk a moment. “You’re not about to tell me you’re pregnant, are you?”

It wouldn’t be terrible if it were true. April was over twenty one and engaged to the man she loved, a perfectly acceptable arrangement for a person to fall pregnant, and way more practical than either Lorelai’s own start in adult life or the way Rory began her family. Still, somehow April’s vehement reply brought a weird kind of relief.

“No! No way, so not ready for that yet!” she said definitely. “But the subject of setting a wedding date, and moreover a location, did come up at the Farber house this Christmas.”

“Ooh, you settle anything?” asked Lorelai with real interest, glad for now that she had no guests to deal with and could just get all the gossip from her step-daughter in this quiet moment.

“Yes and no,” April told her. “I, er... Lorelai, would it be weird if - and you can totally say no - but, I was kind of hoping that Paul and I could be married at the Dragonfly.”

Lorelai’s eyes went wide at the request and for a whole ten seconds her voice completely eluded her. When she found it again, it was full of unconcealed joy.

“Wow, April! That’s... that’d be amazing!” she enthused. “I’d love it, and your dad would love it too, plus it’d be super easy for Rory and Jess and the kids to be there.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” April agreed with equal enthusiasm, so glad to have her plans agreed with apparently. “Most of my family is in Connecticut, and Paul’s family is only five people to bring over, and I know we live in New York but getting everybody there would be a nightmare and... I don’t know, it’s not home in the same way.”

Lorelai wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. She loved how much April thought of Luke’s family as her own. It would have been easy to have it all separated out, but Lorelai had come to love April in the same way that Luke just as easily loved Rory, though they were not connected by blood. Rory was closer to April than she had ever got to GG, despite sharing actual DNA with the latter of the two, and of course April and Jess were actual cousins. She was as much a part of the family as anybody else, and Lorelai was thrilled to know April felt that way.

“I get it. I really do, April, and if you want to have your wedding at the Dragonfly, I am more than okay with that” she promised her. “I can help plan... or I can step back if you and Anna would prefer it that way?” she said, suddenly realising that she might be over-stepping.

As close as April and Lorelai were, it wasn’t quite the same as Luke and Rory. Christopher was pretty much never around, so Luke was free to step into the shoes of Rory’s father whenever. Lorelai had to constantly make sure she wasn’t getting in Anna’s way, especially after she and April moved back to Connecticut after Grandma Nardini’s death.

“I think we’ll need you too,” said April, making Lorelai sigh with relief that she hadn’t caused offence. “Only if that’s not too weird.”

“It’s not weird,” Lorelai assured her. “I know me and your mom had our issues early on, but we’re totally cool now. I don’t wanna step on her toes anyway, you know I wouldn’t.”

“I do know,” April agreed easily. “Thanks, Lorelai. Um, I know I probably should’ve told Dad all about this, but I only had time for one call before I head out.”

“You want me to ask him to call you later?” Lorelai checked.

“I’m going to be in the lab, knee-deep in neural tissue all day and probably into the night,” said April as she thought about it. “I’ll call him sometime tomorrow maybe.” 

“Okay, babe,” Lorelai told her. “I won’t say a word. This is your news to share.”

“Thanks again, Lorelai.”

“You’re welcome, April. Now go make amazing leaps in scientific discovery!”

April laughed.

“That is what they pay me for.”


	10. Chapter 10

“Hey, Steve,” said Tori as she met him by the lockers. “How’s things?”

“Things?” he echoed absently, eyes focused further down the hallway yet. “Well, if the rumour mill is to be believed, the only thing that matters is the fact your brother is dating the new girl in school.”

“Yeah, so I’m told,” said Tori, following Steve’s gaze to see Jack talking with Alison and a couple of her friends. “Of course, I heard tell there was more exciting news. A little bird told me that somebody decided that the lure of the cloth was just too much to ignore,” she said, smiling widely as Steve looked her way. “Your mom told my mom, about the whole becoming a pastor thing. That’s awesome, Steve, seriously.”

He looked amazed that she said it, most likely because that was just exactly what he felt. Steve’s parents tried to take his news well, Grandma Kim was thrilled, and though Kwan was having trouble with the concept, he wasn’t being too obnoxious or in any way mean. As to the rest of his friends and non-blood family, Steve had expected a varied reaction, mostly confusion from his fellow teens who doubtless would never understand his need to commit so fully to his religion.

“Seriously?” he checked.

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?” asked Tori with a frown as she replayed her own words in her head. “Yup, pretty sure I just said seriously. What? You expected me to be freaked out or something? To tell you it’s a dumb choice?”

“No, I mean... I don’t know,” said Steve, shaking his head as he looked down at his shoes. “I am so sure this is what I want to do, and it’s going to take a lot of time and commitment, but it... it’s what I feel I need to do, what God wants me to do.”

“That’s amazing, Steve,” Tori told him genuinely. “I wish there was some divine intervention in my life, that an angel would come down and tell me what I’m supposed to do for my future. Honestly? My goals right now are to pass my classes and graduate high school. After that? God only knows,” she said deliberately and with a smirk her father would have been proud of.

“It’ll happen, Tor,” Steve promised her, patting her arm. “One day it’ll all become clear, I promise.”

“See, putting my mind at ease already. You’re gonna be a great pastor, Steve. I don’t know a guy that could be better qualified.”

If they weren’t standing in the school halls, he would have hugged her. As it was, that rumour mill they had been talking about just a few minutes before would go into over-drive if they saw the pair with their arms around each other. There was nothing like that between Steve and Tori. They were more like brother and sister than anything else, but it really wasn’t worth the crazy talk it would start. The smile Steve gave her proved to Tori how happy she had made him.

“Thank you,” he told her sincerely.

“I speak the truth, that’s all,” she replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Just as the bell rang, Kwan appeared through the swing doors.

“Dude, Chem Lab waits for no man!” he told his brother loudly.

“Kwan, seriously. They can hear you in Hartford when you yell like that!” Steve admonished him, hitching his backpack higher on his shoulder as he moved to follow him anyway.

Tori laughed as she watched them go, stopping abruptly when Kwan yelled to her next.

“By the way, Tor, that guy Dax asked me for your number last night, so I gave it to him.”

“What?” she squeaked, eyes wide as saucers. “You... You did what now?” she double-checked, rushing to catch up to him, even though he and Steve were headed away from her own class.

“Dax. Y’know, that guy learning drums from Mom? He dropped by the garage after you, Doula, and Martha left last night,” he explained as if she were five years old and kind of stupid. “He asked some stuff, I don’t remember all the details, but he definitely wanted your number, so I gave it to him.”

Tori wanted to yell at him for being stupid, and yet at the same time, there was a warm feeling inside of her at the prospect of getting a call from Dax. Maybe it wasn’t the worst thing in the world that he had her number. After all, he was a nice guy. Aunt Lane wouldn’t be teaching him drums if he weren’t, and Kwan wouldn’t be so quick to hand over her number. Tori felt her head start to spin until suddenly there was a hand on her arm.

“Hey, we’re cool, right?” asked Kwan, looking a little concerned. “I thought you’d want the guy to have your number.”

“I... We’re fine,” she said at last.

Satisfied he had caused no offence, Kwan grinned at Tori and then set off running down the hall to catch up to his brother. The flurry of people all around snapped Tori back to reality before long. She checked her watch and tried to recall where she had been headed before. She had English first period, and that was nowhere near where she was now.

Tori started hurrying and then practically full on running as the halls cleared quickly and she realised just how late she was going to be. It wouldn’t be so bad. Her English teacher kind of loved her because she had read half of the books they were studying already and could give all the right answers when asked. Still, it was best not to be late if she could help it. Pelting through the next set of doors, Tori narrowly missed colliding with a guy she recognised walking the other way.

“Hi, Tor,” said Alex as she hurried past him. “Bye, Tor,” he added, still waving from the ‘hello’ even when she was long gone.

Now more intent in watching Jack’s sister disappearing around the corner at top speed, Alex wasn’t much looking in the direction he was headed until he got there. He stepped into his Math class and headed for his usual seat, two rows from the back, next to Martha. He got a real shock as he swung into his seat and looked across at his friend. A double take wasn’t enough. Alex’s head whipped back and forth at least three times before he could take what he was looking at.

“Woah!” he gasped at the sight. “Bellville, what did you...?”

He couldn’t even finish the question. She looked different. Still Martha in a lot of ways, but different. It was as if she were version 2.0 all of a sudden, the same girl he had always knows but more so. She wasn’t just his good friend Mar, she was... she was a woman!

“What?” she asked as innocently as she could.

The truth was Martha was having a tough time keeping the blush out of her cheeks, and hearing herself think over the pounding of her own heart. This was crazy, and she had half convinced herself that when Alex saw her he wouldn’t even notice that she looked any different at all. Apparently she was wrong. Apparently a little make up and some clothes that flattered her figure was enough to make Alex really sit up and take notice.

“I, uh...” he faltered. “You look... It works for you,” he forced out at last, more than a little relieved it seemed when the teacher called the class to order.

Martha was grinning all over her face as she glanced down at her cell hidden beneath the edge of the desk. Typing quickly with her thumbs, she fired off a text to Doula without the teacher noticing. She smiled as she closed the phone and slid it into her bag.

Three halls away, Doula took a secretive glance at her cell and smiled at the message from Martha.

‘I owe you. Big time.’

* * *

“But you absolutely cannot tell Luke that I told you!” insisted Lorelai.

Jess made a big deal of zipping his mouth shut and throwing away the key. Just occasionally it still felt weird to get along like they did these days, but for the most part Lorelai and Jess were probably better friends than most regular in-laws. They loved a lot of the same people and shared them as family and friends both. It made sense that in time they would learn to love each other, especially given how much they had in common when you got right down to it.

“She is excited though,” Lorelai said of April, having given Jess the lowdown on the upcoming nuptials - she just had to tell someone! “Ah, to be young and in love.”

“Yeah, ‘cause you’re so old now,” he told her, rolling his eyes as he served her more coffee and filled a few more cups down the length of the counter too.

“Huh! You’re telling me you don’t feel old sometimes?” asked Lorelai, daring him to say she was wrong. “You have two kids in high school, sweetheart. Jack is almost as old as you were when you first came to the Hollow. Think about that,” she dared him, pointing a finger at Jess.

He winced and swallowed hard.

“That is pretty scary,” he admitted. “What makes me feel worse is knowing Tori is reaching dating age. Jack I can handle, I’ve been a teenage boy, I know how that goes.”

“And the fact you were once a teenage boy is why you hate the idea of Tori dating too,” said Lorelai, nodding in a knowing way. “But that granddaughter of mine is a sensible girl, Jess. If and when she chooses to date, she is not taking crap from any hoodlum that comes along,” she said with a smirk. “Rory never did.”

“True enough,” he replied with a similar look. “I think there’s a guy though. I don’t know who he is, but there’s one hanging around.”

“Ooh, intrigue!” Lorelai said, clapping her hands like an excited kid. “Y’know, me and Luke have suspicions about Billy too,” she explained, leaning in closer to tell all to her son in law.

If he was surprised he didn’t show it, but then Jess rarely reacted in a big way to town gossip, whether it involved his family or not. He wasn’t worried about his young cousin. The kid had a head on his shoulders and was way more like Luke than Lorelai when it came to decision making. He wouldn’t do anything dumb with a girl or otherwise.

“Anyway, it’s cool with me if Billy wants to spend more time in the diner,” he explained, wiping down the counter. “Luke will probably need the help if I take this trip to Philly.”

“You’re headed to Philadelphia?” Lorelai checked, sipping her coffee. “New book?”

“Old book,” Jess explained. “The guys are having some event they want me at. Something about the authors that they got started in the business that made it big later. Not that I’m exactly Hemingway or anything...”

“You do okay, kid,” said Lorelai with a genuine smile. “And I think it’s cool that they’re celebrating their successes. Good for Matt and Chris. So, is Rory going with?”

“I don’t know, maybe,” said Jess, leaning back against the shelving. “She said she wanted to, and the kids are old enough to be left alone for a few days, I guess, it’s just...”

He trailed off and Lorelai knew exactly what he was getting at. She placed her coffee cup down the counter very deliberately, folded her hands and placed her chin on top.

“Seriously, Jess,” she said, fixing him with a look. “You know that me and Luke will watch the kids whilst you’re gone. It’s not even a question that needs to be asked or a hint that needs to be made,” she said definitely.

Jess sighed and rubbed his forehead as if he felt a headache coming on. There was more to this than he was saying, but Lorelai had a feeling if she waited he would probably spit it out eventually.

“It’s not that I don’t trust them. Jack and Tori, they’re great, it’s just... Well, they have my DNA in there,” he admitted at length, leaning on the counter to speak more quietly to Lorelai again. “You know better than anyone what a stellar teen I was.”

“Don’t I ever!” she said with a laugh that was clearly deliberately overdone. “But seriously, Jess, we’ll keep an eye on them, and they will be fine,” she promised. “Take your wife to Philly, show her a good time. You guys deserve a break,” she said, patting his hand.

“Thanks, Lorelai,” he smiled genuinely, glad all over again that they had built a bridge so many years ago. “Oh, and Doula...”

“I’ll watch out for her too,” she added easily, with a wink to seal the promise as Jess was called away to serve more customers.

They both knew Liz didn’t pay half so much attention to Jess’ little sister as she should. He took it upon himself to be Doula’s protector, almost a guardian angel as well as a big brother. Somebody needed to take on that role, and if he was going to be gone, even for a few days, it was comfort to know Lorelai and Luke would be keeping an eye out for the teenage rampage that was Doula Johnson.

* * *

It was lunch time when Tori felt buzzing in her pocket and jumped so much she almost hit the ceiling. Her hand moved to grab her cell and yet once it was in her hand she hardly dare look at who the text was from. If it were Dax, she would be pleased, and if it wasn’t, she would probably be disappointed. Not that it was likely to be him. A dozen other people had her number, friends and family. It could just as easily be her mom asking what she wanted for dinner, or Grandma Lorelai checking if she was still going straight to the inn after school to help out. Tori hated that her hand was shaking as she opened up her cell and checked the screen. An unknown number was displayed and when she clicked to open the message she couldn’t help but smile.

‘Hey, it’s Dax. I got your number from your friend Kwan. Hope you don’t mind. You want to hang out after school?’

Tori didn’t know how to answer. She really did want to hang out with Dax, at least she thought she did. Maybe she shouldn’t. After all, he was just some weird guy learning drums from Aunt Lane. So he knew Spinal Tap and he made her laugh and he was insanely cute, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be his friend, or more than his friend.

The conversation around the lunch table went on without her, and Tori was only glad that nobody else seemed to have noticed she was paying attention to nothing but her phone. She re-read the message four or five times, and then took a deep breath. She was about to reply when Jaime leaned in closer to her.

“Hey, you okay?” she checked.

“Yeah,” Tori answered like a reflex, though the look on her face betrayed her and they both knew it. “Er, I just got this,” she admitted, showing Jaime her phone.

“Hmm,” said her friend as she read the text. “This is the guy you like, right?” she checked in a whisper, mindful of everyone else hearing.

“I... Yeah, I do,” said Tori thoughtfully. “And that’s okay, right?”

Jaime shrugged her shoulders.

“I guess so,” she told her. “I’m really not the person to ask about dating and stuff.”

She went back to her artwork then and Tori let out a long sigh. Her eyes moved around the table, to Kwan and Steve, then Jack, Martha, and a strangely silent Alex. Her eyes fell on a girl two tables over then. Doula was laughing like a drain, twirling her hair around her finger and fluttering her eyelashes like a pro as two of the hottest guys in her grade fawned all over her. It was so easy for D, she just went out and grabbed what she wanted, without fear of the consequences. Sometimes Tori envied her. With school, she was a go-getter, but Tori was never so confident in making friends, never mind getting close to guys. Maybe it was time that changed.

‘Depends. Hang out where?’ she wrote in reply to Dax’s question.

She didn’t have to wait long for his next message.

‘There’s this new store in Hartford, big on vintage records. Thought you might be interested.’

Tori smiled. He had been listening when they talked a few days ago, on their walk to the Van Gerbig house, when they had talked primarily about their musical tastes. Tori quickly typed her reply.

‘I’m free from five o’clock. You know the Dragonfly Inn?’

There was too long a pause before the answer came and Tori almost thought Dax had changed his mind, until at last her phone buzzed again.

‘I can find it. Pick you up at five.’

‘Sounds good,’ she answered easily, a grin on her face now that would not shift.

It seemed that Victoria Mariano had just agreed to her very first date.


	11. Chapter 11

“Tori? Honey, if you’re headed out...” Lorelai stopped talking as she arrived in the back office and found her granddaughter wasn’t there. With a frown, she went into reception again. “Michel, did Tori leave already?”

“Yes and no,” he told her, not even looking up from the post it notes he seemed so concentrated on right now. “Yes, Victoria has left the building, but no, she has not left the premises. I believe she is sitting on the porch steps, making a nuisance of herself every time that a guest wishes to enter or exit the inn.”

“Oh, okay,” said Lorelai thoughtfully. “Well, she never usually leaves without saying something, and I don’t know that Rory or Jess are coming to pick her up...”

Her voice trailed away as she headed out, getting to the front door just in time to see Tori get up from her ‘seat’ and brush the dust from her pants. Lorelai opened her mouth to ask what was up when she suddenly noticed the car that had just pulled up on the inn’s driveway. A moment later she noticed the guy driving said car.

If Lorelai had to categorise the type of young man who was picking up her granddaughter right now, she would struggle. He was a little bit James Dean, with a side helping of Zach Morris, and just a touch of the guy from the new Coke ad. Of course, this was all based entirely on his looks and his car. Practically pressing her nose to the glass, Lorelai watched the mystery guy get out of the car to open the door for Tori, who blushed uncharacteristically as she slid into the convertible. The guy was a gentleman and he probably wasn’t lacking in funds. Lorelai’s stomach lurched at the idea Tori might have somehow met this guy through Emily. Monthly Friday night dinner wasn’t due for a week yet so the kids hadn’t even seen Great Grandma since Christmas. There was no way Tori’s route to the rich boy was through the Gilmore Elder, but there was no way the kid was from Stars Hollow High either.

“What are you doing?” asked Michel suddenly.

Lorelai felt as if she jumped a mile in the air, her hand on her heart as she landed.

“I’m not doing anything!” she exclaimed. “And, if I were spying on my granddaughter, what business is that of yours?” she asked, eyes narrowing. “You work for me, remember?”

Michel muttered something incomprehensible in French as he went back to the desk and answered the phone that began to ring on his approach. Lorelai sighed and turned back to the window. Tori and her mystery man were long gone now. Well, this answered the question Jess had about whether or not his daughter was dating. Now she was left with the dilemma of whether or not to tell Jess and/or Rory about all of this. It might put them off wanting to go to Philly and that would really suck, and there was probably nothing to worry about anyway, Tori was a sensible girl. She wasn’t the Riding In Cars With Boys type, except she was in a car with a boy, but they wouldn’t be doing anything inappropriate. Tori wasn’t that kind of girl.

Lorelai’s memory tripped back a dozen years and more to Rory’s teen years. At Tori’s age, there was no way Rory would have gotten into a situation with a boy, but at sixteen and seventeen, it started to become an issue. By nineteen, she was pregnant with Jack. As for Lorelai herself, she was the worst example for her granddaughter, dropping out of high school to give birth to Rory at age sixteen.

“And kids grow up even faster these days,” she muttered to herself.

A clatter from the kitchen caught her attention and she hurried for the door when she heard an outburst from Sookie right after. Now she had to work. Later she would worry about her granddaughter running around with a mysterious boy. Or maybe she would do both at once, because quite honestly, Lorelai wasn’t sure she could stop even if she wanted to.

* * *

The radio was a welcome sound in the car as Dax drove Tori to Hartford. With the wind rushing over the open top of the convertible, it would have been tough to have a conversation anyway, but quite honestly, neither Dax nor Tori could think of anything to say. It was so stupid. All either of them had wanted to do for days was spend time with the other, and now here they were, hardly looking at each other. At least Dax had the excuse of needing to keep his eyes on the road. Tori just kept staring at scenery she knew so well already out of the passenger side window.

If it were possible, Dax was even better looking than the picture she had been holding in her head. It was often said that memories of things were exaggerations and the reality could often be a disappointment. Tori knew it was true. Anticipation of something was usually better than the event itself, and certainly it was easy to build up a person or thing in your head until it seemed a hundred times better than it actually was. This was different, almost entirely the opposite. She knew Dax was hot, but when he pulled up on the driveway to the Dragonfly and hopped out of the car to open the passenger door, Tori actually thought she felt her knees buckle a little bit. It was so stupid, because she knew she was better than this. She was raised knowing that men and women were equal, that independence was important, and that whilst romance was all very well, swooning on the sight of a good looking guy was both shallow and pathetic. That didn’t stop her from feeling kind of overwhelmed and altogether girly whenever she was in the presence of Dax.

Though she didn’t know that she was even listening to the music that pounded from multiple speakers, Tori was subconsciously tapping her feet and bobbing her head to the strains of Ash’s Girl From Mars.

“You dig the song?” asked Dax.

“Yeah,” she replied, having to yell to be heard just as he was. “It’s kinda sappy but my dad always says it reminds him of my mom.”

“That’s cool.” Dax smiled.

Tori went from feeling stupidly lame for her admission to basking in the glow of that smile. A similar expression came to her own face as the car came to a halt at a red light a couple of streets away from the middle of town.

“I don’t know, it’s not supposed to be cool to think your parents are human, right?” she said, rolling her eyes because she knew how dumb such an opinion was.

“Depends on your parents, I guess,” shrugged Dax. “Besides, I personally think more people should be grateful for the folks they have. My mom... She died when I was three, I don’t even really remember her.”

“I’m sorry,” said Tori immediately. “That’s... That’s gotta be tough.”

“It’s okay. I mean, sure, it’d be better if she was still around, but my dad always tried to be there for me, at least when I was younger.”

“But not now?” asked Toru, too inquisitive for her own good and she knew it. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to tell me this. This is a little deep for two people who barely know each other.”

“How do people get to know each other unless they talk about stuff?” he asked, one eyebrow quirked as he glanced her way.

The light turned green and they were off again. Tori wasn’t sure if she was supposed to answer his question of if Dax was being rhetorical. She found out when he spoke again.

“Dad got remarried a year ago now. She’s... I mean, she’s not a bad person or anything. No wicked stepmother vibe or whatever,” he explained. “It’s just not the same, having her around all the time.”

“And you don’t have any other family? Brothers and sisters?”

“Nope. Just me. The one and only,” he told Tori with a grin.

“I can’t even imagine that,” she replied, shaking her head. “I mean, I only have one older brother, but I feel like I have more. Steve and Kwan have always looked out for me, and then there’s Davey, Martha, Jaime, Doula, Billy, Alex, Peter, Shelley, they’re all like family in different ways.”

“That’s... a lot of people,” said Dax with wide eyes.

“And that’s only ‘the kids’,” Tori air-quoted as the car pulled up outside a row of stores. “I have more aunts and uncles than you could ever count. We did a family tree project at school when I was in the second grade and I had so many pieces of paper taped together it was insane!”

Tori was laughing at the story that still amused her to this day. The teacher had actually called her parents to discuss the project, sure that there had to be errors throughout. Between the confusion of Grandpa Luke and Grandma Lorelai also being Great Uncle Luke and Great Aunt Lorelai, and all the non-blood relations that Tori had added in without even thinking about it, the teacher was more than a little baffled, but in the end she understood and Tori got the A she deserved for all the effort she put in. Suddenly it wasn’t funny to think about anymore when Tori noticed the way Dax was staring at her.

“What?” she asked, staring right back at him.

“Nothing” he told her, shaking his head slightly. “You, er... You have a great laugh, and a beautiful smile.”

Tori opened her mouth to say thank you or at least give some reply, but the words got stuck and she could feel the heat of a thousand suns rising in her cheeks. Clearing her throat, she popped of her seatbelt and opened the car door all in one go.

“So this is the record store,” she said, looking up at the building that bore the name ‘Right Round’.

“This is it,” Dax agreed, hurrying to join her on the sidewalk.

Like the gentleman he was proving to be, he opened the door for Tori and she passed through with a smile. She tried not to notice how close she was to him as she moved into the store, because it was probably better not to. She had to admit it wasn’t a bad feeling though, just a little new and strange, but she really didn’t hate it.

* * *

“A boy? Is he a cute boy?” asked Sookie, bouncing around like a girl a quarter of her age.

“Sook, focus!” Lorelai urged her. “Yes, I guess he is a cute boy, but that’s not the issue right now. Tori is fourteen, and she’s... Well, from what I saw, she’s dating. Rory has not mentioned this to me, and you know she would if she knew. Plus, Jess told me some guy was hanging around... He seemed worried.”

“Oh, Lorelai, he’s a father! Of course he’s worried, but Tori’s a sensible girl. She would only date a nice guy, right?”

“I guess,” her friend considered, but she couldn’t quite sit still on the kitchen stool and the coffee wasn’t helping her nerves this time. “But then why keep it a secret? She’s fourteen, Sookie. I remember fourteen. I mean, Rory at fourteen was fine, but then I think of me.”

Sookie’s eyes went a little wide. She would never judge Lorelai and the choices she had made in her life, but nobody liked the idea of little Victoria Mariano getting herself pregnant at fifteen or similar. She was smarter than that, of course she was, but there was a time when Lorelai thought she was smarter too, and that had proven false.

“You should call Rory, or Jess, or the police!” said Sookie, suddenly frantic.

“Or maybe I’ll call Jack,” Lorelai considered. “He might know this guy, could even be a friend of his, I guess?”

“Maybe,” Sookie considered. “Ooh, I’ll call Martha, just in case she knows something. Jaime too!”

The two women both grabbed their cell phones and started dialling. There was no answer on Jack’s cell and Lorelai daren’t try the Mariano house just yet. Sookie just got done leaving a not-as-breezy-as-it-should’ve-been message on Martha’s cell when she saw Lorelai smile.

“Hey, Lane,” she greeted her with forced happiness. “Are Steve and Kwan home? They are, huh? Um, they don’t have a new friend lately, do they? Might be a year or two older than them, blonde hair, medium height, I guess, and... Well, not exactly Daniel Desario but maybe has a little ‘tude going on. It sounds like who? What’s a Dax?”

Sookie’s face cycled through all possible expressions like a mime artist practicing for a show as she listened to Lorelai’s conversation with Lane. When she finally hung up there were signs of relief all around.

“Okay, so the guy is named Dax, or at least that’s what he goes by.” Lorelai rolled her eyes. “Lane is teaching him drums, and that’s how he met Tori. Lane promises he’s a good kid, at least as far as she knows.”

“Well, that’s something,” Sookie nodded. “Our Tori on her first date, and with a wannabe rock star!” she said, grinning wide now.

“Drummers aren’t usually rock stars, Sook,” Lorelai reminded her, resisting the urge to quote from Spinal Tap.

Sookie was already singing a 'Tori and Dax’ love song to herself, and Lorelai’s brain was too busy wondering what she should do next to think of anything else. Rory and Jess should probably be told that their daughter was running around with a boy they had never met, whether he seemed nice or not. At the same time, Lorelai had always sworn never to be that kind of mother or grandmother, the kind that judged people without giving them a chance and believed in locking up kids to save them from themselves.

Above everything, Lorelai really didn’t want to be Emily Gilmore, but her conscience told her she was being a bad mother if she said nothing and a bad grandmother if she did. She was going to need more coffee.


	12. Chapter 12

“Seriously? Motorhead?”

“Lemmy was a legend! May he rest in peace.”

“I guess. It was Bowie passing a month later that almost broke every heart in my family,” said Tori, leafing through the records in front of her. “I heard nothing but Heroes, Suffragette City, and Ashes to Ashes for like a month. Not that I don’t love the guy’s music, but it got a little crazed. Plus I think Grandma Lorelai had Labyrinth and The Man Who Fell From Earth on her TV almost every time I went over for weeks after that. I thought Grandpa Luke was going to burst a blood vessel.”

“Your family sounds cool,” said Dax, looking much more at her than the shop’s merchandise. “I can’t imagine what it’s like, having all those people around.”

“Sometimes it gets a little intense,” Tori considered, eyes skimming over the back of a record sleeve before she replaced it and browsed a few more titles. “But mostly it’s good to know somebody is always there. Stars Hollow is kind of that way for most people, like one huge family, it just so happens that me and mine are the biggest bunch of family ties in town. You can’t move at Stars Hollow High without coming cross one of ‘us kids’,” she air quoted.

“Sometimes I wish I went to a regular school like that,” Dax sighed, leaning heavily on the shelving. “Chilton is a little-”

“Chilton?” Tori cut in, her eyes darting up to meet Dax’s own. “That’s my mom’s alma mater,” she told him with a smile. “I didn’t realise... I mean, I hadn’t thought about where you live or go to school or whatever. I would say you don’t seem like the prep school type, but then my mom wasn’t exactly the cliché Chilton student either.”

“Doesn’t make you wanna run screaming from me, huh? The whole prep school thing? I mean, it’s not exactly rock n roll.”

“You think I’d only date a guy if he was rock n roll?” asked Tori, not sure whether she ought to be amused or insulted at the implication.

“I didn’t know we were dating,” said Dax, eyes sparkling and smirk barely repressed as he stared at her.

Tori opened her mouth to say something smart but for a moment no words came. This was a date, she was sure he had said so, but suddenly she couldn’t recall if that was the exact word Dax had used. Maybe not, but she was pretty sure it was what he meant for this to be. If she was wrong she was mortified, but the look on Dax’s face suggested he was messing with her.

“Did I say we were dating?” she said eventually, playing him at his own game as she turned her attention back to the records. “Doula always says a guy taking a girl out on a date spends money,” she said with a smirk her father would have been proud of.

Dax had the two records out of Tori’s other hand in a second, taking them over to the register and paying for them without a word. She watched him go, biting her lip until he returned to her with the purchases in a bag.

“Money spent,” he told her, encouraging her to take it.

“Thank you,” she replied, trying not to blush. “You didn’t have to. I was just...”

“I know,” he said, nodding his head. “I wanted to.”

There was a moment when he got really close, and Tori actually believed Dax was going to kiss her. She ought to back up and get out of there. This was all happening pretty fast after all, but somehow she was only disappointed when she realised that she must have been wrong. Dax only smiled at her a moment and then reached for her hand and pulled her towards the door.

“C’mon, I’m starved. Let’s go get something to eat.”

“Sounds good,” she agreed, afraid her voice would disappear altogether before she even got those two words out.

His grip on her hand was making her stomach flip in the best way as they went outside to the car. Tori was having the greatest time, not even thinking about how long they were out or what her parents would think. She was lost in her own little world with Dax for a while, at least until something across the street caught her eye.

“What?” asked Dax, hand pausing on the door handle when he realised Tori wasn’t getting in the car.

He turned right around to see what she was staring at. There was a couple headed into a store across the street, but Dax didn’t recognise them. He glanced to Tori again and asked if she did.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, squinting her eyes, but the couple were now out of sight. “I thought... The guy looked like Billy, but it couldn’t have been,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s fine, let’s go.”

* * *

“Jess, you know I would love to come with you,” said Rory with a huge smile as she hugged him. “I love Philadelphia, and it’d be great to see Matt and Chris, I just... well...”

“I know, you’re thinking about the kids,” he cut in, sure of what she was going to say before she ever actually said it. “Your mom and Luke are going to keep an eye on them, and it’s only for a couple of days. If I thought we could get out of Friday Night Dinner I’d have us leave earlier, but we could head out first thing Saturday and be back Sunday night, Monday at the latest. Jack and Tori are old enough, and Lorelai even said she would watch Doula for me too.”

Rory nodded in understanding. She knew for sure that her sister-in-law needed way more watching than Jack or Tori ever did. Not that Doula wasn’t a good girl, she was just kind of wild was all. Jess used to be that way when he was a teen, it was one of the things that attracted Rory, but it was different seeing the same trait in Doula. They had watched her grow from a baby to a teen, and thinking of her maybe getting herself into trouble put a whole new spin on such unrestrained behaviour.

“Everybody is growing up so fast,” said Rory then, sighing heavily as she took a seat at the table and watched Jess continue with cooking dinner. “I can’t believe April is getting married!”

“Yeah, that messes with my mind. I mean, she was just a kid when she first showed up here and now...” he trailed off, shaking his head. “Jack is old enough to date, and Tori is getting there. I’m not ready for that yet”

“I’m not sure any parent ever is, at least not from what my mom and Luke tell me,” said Rory thoughtfully, picking at the tray of chopped vegetables on the table before her. “We gave them a whole lot to worry about when we were teenagers.”

“Can’t argue with that.” her husband agreed, turning to smack her hand when he caught her stealing his ingredients. “But we raised the kids right. Jack knows how to treat a woman, and Tori’s still a kid.”

Rory gave him a look that proved she did not agree with that in the least, but Jess chose to ignore it. In his head, Victoria was still his baby girl. Fourteen was no age for girls to date, that was what he thought and he was sticking to it. The fact he had his first kiss at twelve didn’t even come into it, because he was a guy and that was different. He chose to pretend he didn’t remember that the girl he kissed had been the same age as him and he hadn’t cared at all at the time.

“Jess, one day Tori is going to date,” Rory told him, laughter in her voice. “And she will be fine, I promise. You cannot go all Mafia Don on any guy that looks at her.”

“I can’t help it, I have Sicilian blood in here somewhere,” he reminded her, leaving the pan on the stove to simmer as he turned to face her. “Mrs R understood.”

Rory smiled sadly and stood up to put her arms around her husband.

“Mrs R loved all the kids so much, but even she used to talk about them growing up and meeting people they could fall in love with.” she reminded Jess. “She’s the reason Tori believed she actually was a princess until she was eight.”

“Sometimes I think she still believes it.” Jess rolled his eyes, holding on tight to her. “And I know I’m being dumb. Of course Tori has to grow up and date and everything. I want her to be as happy as we are some day.”

“I’m not sure anybody could be as happy as you make me, Jess Mariano,” said Rory definitely, kissing his lips. “But I would like to grow old surrounded by lots of grandchildren and stuff, like Mrs R did.”

“And you will,” Jess assured her. “We will,” he amended with a smile.

What might have been quite the moment was broken by a phone ringing. Rory reached for her cell on the counter, having to pull out of Jess’ arms to do so.

“It’s Mom,” she said, accepting the call. “Hey, Mom. What’s up? Tori went out with who? No, I don’t know him.”

Jess’ expression turned angry the second he heard the male pronoun and saw Rory frown. He heard the front door close loudly and moved towards it at a pace, finding a giddy looking Tori in the entranceway.

“Hey, Dad,” she greeted him with a grin, reaching up to kiss his cheek. “Sorry I’m late, I got a little caught up, but I already ate so you guys should go ahead and have dinner. I have homework so I’ll be in my room.”

She was gone up the stairs before Jess had a chance to question her. He was still standing their gaping when Rory joined him.

“Apparently Lane’s new drumming student picked Tori up from the inn today,” she explained in a low voice. “His name is Dax.”

“Dax?” echoed Jess with some distaste, looking ready to explode.

Rory put a hand to his chest and held him back when he seemed set to storm up the stairs after their daughter.

“Please, Jess,” she urged him. “Don’t go crazy. Tori is home, she’s safe and fine. We just established we want her to be happy and that it’s okay if she dates-”

“When she’s older!” Jess cut in. “She’s fourteen, Ror.”

“And Dax is only a little older. Lane said he turned sixteen this past Christmas, it’s not that big of a deal!”

Jess looked like he wanted to argue but when he met Rory’s blue eyes he knew he couldn’t. She was right. She was always right about this kind of thing, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. Getting over Jack dating Alison Forester, apparently that had been the easy part. Knowing some punk had an interest in Tori, that might yet be the death of him.

“Maybe we shouldn’t go to Philly,” he said, shaking his head.

Rory visibly deflated right there before him, and he immediately felt bad. He wanted to go and she really wanted to go with him. It would be so good to get away for a couple of days and be alone together, plus Jess didn’t hate the idea of seeing buddies that he hadn’t talked to in way too long.

“Well, I guess we’ll save some money on that fancy nightwear I was going to buy,” said Rory, turning away with a heavy sigh.

Jess did a double-take which his wife caught out of the corner of her eye. It made her smile, knowing he was already reconsidering. Sometimes it was great being a woman, and a wife who knew her husband this well.

* * *

“Somebody’s walking on air,” said Jack as he met his sister on the landing. “What’s up Toria?”

“Nothing,” she said, continuing on to her room.

Jack couldn’t help but follow her. Nobody wore that kid of overly smiley look for no reason, and certainly he had never seen than kind of expression on Tori’s face before. He leaned in her doorway as she went in, putting a bag from some record store down on the dresser and removing her hat, scarf and jacket.

“You went to Hartford?” he checked, noting the details on the bag.

“Okay, Sherlock. Yes, I went to Hartford... with Dax,” she admitted then.

“With Dax?” echoed Jack, his expression unreadable, but his volume rising.

Tori’s eyes flitted past her brother to the stairs and she moved to pull him into the room, closing the door tight shut.

“Do not explode,” she urged him. “And don’t tell Mom and Dad either. I’m going to talk to them, you know I wouldn’t lie about where I was, it’s just... Well, there was such a big deal when you and Alison so much as looked at each other, and you know how protective Dad can be about me.”

“He’s not the only one,” said Jack with a look.

Tori sighed. “Jack, I love that you care, you know I do, but Dax is a nice guy. He likes me and I like him. Besides, nothing happened. He drove me to Hartford, we shopped, we ate, and he brought me home. We’re not exactly Romeo and Juliet. Excuse me, but you and Alison are way more West Side story than we are.”

Jack knew he couldn’t deny that given the family rivalry there had been between Foresters and Marianos in the previous generation to theirs. Still, any guy getting within three feet of Toria didn’t sit right with Jack.

“You’re fourteen, Tor,” he reminded her. “I know you think you’re all grown up and most of the time I’d agree that you are smarter than most girls your age.”

“You know I am,” she agreed. “Dad always said I was nine going on forty five. I am so mature enough to date. Besides, boys mature two years slower than girls which makes me and Dax the same age anyway, right?”

Jack smiled at her logic, and how less than mature she seemed right now with her arms folded across her chest, practically stamping her foot in frustration. She was still his kid sister and always would be, but he meant what he said about her being grown up enough to know her own mind and all.

“I trust you, Toria, and if you say this guy is cool, then he probably is,” he said, nodding his head. “But just be careful, okay? Please?”

“Always, big brother,” she promised with an overdone smile. “So, when are you seeing Alison again?”

Jack glanced away, shy as ever when it came to talking about the great Miss Forester. Tori saw them in school together sometimes, doing nothing more than talking, but he always had this look on his face like a little lost puppy, whilst Alison appeared to be the cat that got the cream. There was something Tori just couldn’t like about her brother’s new girlfriend. If only she knew what it was exactly that bothered her she might say something, but right now, she hadn’t a clue.

“She wanted to go out Friday night, to some party her friends are having,” Jack explained. “But this week is dinner at Gran’s, so...” he trailed off with a shrug.

Tori frowned as she thought on the date. Turned out it really was that close to the third Friday in the month already.

“Huh, I almost forgot about that,” she said more to herself than to Jack. “Well, it’ll be cool to see Gran, I guess. She’s gotta get lonely up in that big old house by herself. I don’t know why Mom and Grandma could never convince her to move to Stars Hollow?”

“Gran? In the Hollow?” Jack laughed out loud at the very idea. “Not a chance. Daughters the American Revolution do not live in our neighbourhood, Tor.”

“I guess not.” Tori laughed too when she considered her great grandmother at a town meeting or buying groceries from Taylor Doose’s store.

Emily Gilmore just wasn’t like anybody else in their family. She tried to be fun and understanding of what the kids were into, but she could never quite manage to break out of her upper crust mould. It didn’t change the fact that Jack and Tori couldn’t love her more if they tried, even if it did bug Tori to this day that Gran insisted on calling her Victoria. Apparently shortened names were vulgar, and yet Mom was always allowed to be Rory. That one never did make sense.

“Oh, by the way,” said Jack turning back the moment he made to leave the room. “Martha’s new look has gone over pretty well with Alex. He didn’t ask her out yet but the fact I had to prompt him to pick up his tongue from the floor at least three times today means he has noticed her.”

“That’s cool,” his sister said with a smile. “I mean, Mar was always beautiful and such a great person, she just needed to remind the world that she is in fact female and interested in boys!”

“Yeah, well, before this gets any more Teen Cosmo than it already is, I’m gonna get back to Calculus.”

“And I have a Chem report to write up before I face the parental units with talk of Dax and car rides to Hartford,” Tori considered, blowing her bangs off her forehead. “You’re gonna back me up with them, right?”

“I’m your brother, I always have your back,” Jack promised with a smile before he headed for his own room.

He had barely been gone a minute when Tori’s phone beeped with a text message received. She immediately grabbed her cell to see who was contacting her, a grin appearing on her lips when she saw it was Dax.

‘Today was fun. We should do it again sometime’

Tori read the message and her smile only grew. She started to type a positive reply but immediately stopped herself. Too eager was bad, she knew that. Maybe she should wait five minutes before she replied. Nodding to herself, Tori put her cell down and turned to her homework. Unfortunately, she had barely written two sentences before she grabbed he phone again and typed her reply - she just couldn’t help it!

‘It was, and we definitely should. Thanks again for the records,’ she told him.

‘No problem,’ he responded instantly with a smiley face emoji.

Tori sighed and made herself get back to her homework. Her parents would be cool with her dating, she was sure of it. Dax was a nice guy. A guy who she didn't know all that well yet, that seemingly had no last name or real first name, and who was some upper class guy who went to prep school, but still nice.

“Can’t be as bad as the Jack and Alison debacle, and that seems to be okay so far,” she muttered to herself, and yet Tori couldn’t quite believe her own words yet.


	13. Chapter 13

“So, that’s the story so far,” said Victoria Mariano, stood before her parents who were sat on the couch staring at her. “What do you think?”

Tori almost didn’t want to know the answer to that question, especially where her father was concerned. Jess wasn’t exactly known for being calm about things that were potentially upsetting, and learning that his fourteen year old daughter had been out on her first date was unlikely to cause him joy. Still, Tori suspected she should get points for telling Mom and Dad about it herself rather than letting them hear it some other way, even if she lost marks for going out on said date without letting a single soul know where she was headed!

“Well, it’s good that you’re talking to us about this,” said Rory eventually, her hand on Jess’ arm in a deliberate attempt to keep him calm. “But you really should have said something before you went out on this date with a guy we’ve never met or even heard of before.”

“I know,” said Tori, looking appropriately shame faced. “But he’s cool, I swear, and Aunt Lane knows him. There’s not a member of Hep Alien or Anarchy’s Child that haven’t met him and like him.”

“That’s something, I guess,” her mother considered.

“Dad?” Tori prompted when Jess continued to apparently seethe in silence. “If you’re going to go nuts about this, could you please do it now, because I can’t stand the tension of waiting for an explosion.”

It was almost enough to make Jess smile, almost, but not quite. He was trying desperately to be cool about this, but it really was not coming easy. He would like to say that he would be more okay with it if Tori were older, but quite honestly, if she were forty five and went on her first date with a guy he didn’t know, Jess wasn’t convinced he would feel any the less frustrated.

“No explosion,” he said eventually. “But like your mom said, you should’ve told us before you did this, not after.”

“Granted, and I am sorry,” Tori replied, head down in shame for another beat or two. “But just so you know, there was no... I mean, nothing date-like really happened. I’m aware of the fact I’m only fourteen, which seems really young to be in love or whatever. I’m not even saying I feel that way. I mean, Dax and I are... Well, we’re friends, and I think he’s good-looking, and... and for some reason I cease to be articulate when I talk about him,” she said then, laughing at herself just a little when she realised the truth of her own words.

“Happens to the best of us, honey,” said Rory with a knowing look. “So, Dax plays drums and apparently he drives. What else should we know?”

“I don’t know.” Tori shrugged, still a little uncomfortable with how little Dad was saying so far, still waiting for an explosion despite the promise there wouldn’t be one. “Um, he’s into classic rock, old school punk, a lot of the same stuff I like. We talked music, movies, school... Oh, and he has a kickass convertible.”

“Hold on a sec,” said Jess looking suddenly thoughtful as he glanced Rory’s way. “You said Lane told you this kid only turned sixteen around Christmas?”

“Er, yeah,” Rory recalled, her expression matching Jess’ own in a second. “Yeah, he probably shouldn’t have been driving with passengers on a restricted licence.”

“This is Connecticut, Ror. You can’t even get the restricted until you’re sixteen and four months!” Jess exploded, and Tori was almost relieved to have it happen before the expectation of it killed her. “You know this from the fights we had with Jack over the whole thing last year!”

“Jess, it’s not such a big deal,” his wife tried to placate him, even as he jumped to his feet and started pacing. “So he bent some driving rules. It’s not cool, but it’s not the end of the world. Do I have to bring up our late night car ride for ice cream when we were seventeen?” she said with a look.

“Not the same thing!” Jess shot back at her. “And not the point right now. Can we get back to the part where our fourteen year old daughter is dating Patrick Verona?!” he yelled crossly.

Rory winced at the volume and then a thought hit her. She looked at Tori with genuine curiosity.

“Looks-wise, would you say Ledger or Peck?”

“Um, neither really,” Tori considered. “Dax is more...”

“Okay, this is what going crazy feels like!” said Jess loudly, more to himself than the women in his family, hands going back through his hair and making it stick up in all directions. “Can we please focus on what is important here?”

“Dad, what’s important is that I’m okay,” said Tori, moving towards him. “I like a guy, it’s really not a huge deal, and maybe he likes me too, which I count as a good thing. I’m not stupid, you know this. I know what guys can be like, with the hormones and the expectations. Mom gave me the 411 a while back, and I swear to you, if Dax tried anything I didn’t want there would be so much pepper spray and screaming, Uncle Matt and Uncle Chris would hear me all the way to Philly.”

It was impossible to stay mad at her, Jess always knew that, from the day Tori was born. He was lost the moment he saw her, completely hopelessly in love as he had been with Jack and with Rory. Everything she said was true and impossible to argue with, however much Jess would love to lock her in her room forever and never let a boy near her at all.

“I would say I want to meet this guy before you spend any more time with him,” he said eventually, “but honestly? I’d probably want to bust both his knee caps just for breathing within three feet of my little girl.”

Tori smiled at the way he spoke about her. As dumb as it seemed for her father to go this far off the deep-end just because she spent a couple of hours out with a guy in Hartford, it was also pretty special that he cared this much. Besides, as grown up as Tori always wanted to be, it was nice to still be her father’s little girl too.

“I love you, Daddy,” she told him, going into his arms for a hug.

“Yeah, and I love you too,” he told her softly, kissing the top of her head. “That’s why I get so crazy about stuff like your safety and everything.”

“I know,” she agreed, looking up at him. “But I swear I’m fine, and honestly? I’d like you to meet Dax sometime. I really think you’d like him.”

Jess didn’t answer that one. His eyes drifted to Rory and he caught her wiping away a tear brought on by the sweet father-daughter moment she was observing. This conversation could have gone a whole lot worse than it actually had. Maybe in the end, Tori’s dating would be okay. Things were working out with the Jack and Alison relationship so far, despite a shaky beginning. Tori was pretty young to date, and it probably wasn’t the best thing that Dax was driving around alone with teen passengers on a learner’s permit, but as Rory had quite rightly said, he wasn’t the first kid to bend the rules, and she doubted he would be the last.

“I think as a precaution we should know Dax’s full name, and maybe who his parents are,” she said thoughtfully. “Just for the sake of full disclosure and safety precautions,” she told Tori who frowned some.

“Um, I kinda don’t know any of that,” she admitted shyly. “But he goes to Chilton, if that helps?”

Jess’ expression hardened. Maybe this conversation wasn’t over yet.

* * *

“Doula, this place is boring as hell!”

She winced at the way he said that, sure it was loud enough that Kwan would have heard. Doula was only here with her latest flame in tow to catch his attention, truth be told. Not that she cared much for Tommy, but he was new in school and had taken an instant liking to her. Doula found that happened a lot with her and guys, but unfortunately, the one guy she wanted seemed to be the only one that refused to look her way.

Tommy was her latest attempt at making Kwan want her through jealousy. It never worked before, but this guy was different. Apparently, SHH was Tommy’s fourth school in a year as he had been tossed out of all the others in the area. Bad news didn’t even begin to cover it, but Doula had a plan. If she could charm the bad boy into hanging with her, Kwan was bound to notice, and not only get a little green-eyed monster (hopefully) but also want to save Doula from the terrible influence. He was good that way, not quite so hell-bent on preaching as his brother, but there was a chance that Steve would get Kwan on board in helping Doula out of some perceived trouble. She would take what she could get right now if it meant attention from Kwan Van Gerbig. He was being really frustrating lately, determined as he was to shun her every advance. It was not good enough!

“You like music,” she reminded Tommy, pulling on his hand. “You said you always wanted to play bass.”

“Nah, I said my cousin played bass and offered to teach me,” he reminded her, following her around the store because she had a hold of his hand still, and also because he would follow that ass anywhere. “I never learned. Too much effort. Besides, you got a better bass than he does,” he leered, making a grab at her.

Doula squealed with surprised and then made a big deal of laughing loudly when he pulled her around into his arms.

“Tommy, you’re so bad!” she told him, loud enough for the whole store to hear.

She craned her neck towards the counter and noticed Kwan didn’t even flinch. He had his earbuds in and was focused on a magazine. Doula was pretty sure he didn’t even know she was there.

“C’mon, babe, let’s get out of here!” Tommy urged her towards the door. “Find some private little place of our own for a while,” he said with a look that was unmistakable.

“I don’t know, Tommy,” she squirmed. “I might just head home. I think I’m getting a headache.”

“I got a cure for that,” he told her easily, hand sneaking into his inside pocket and producing a hand-rolled cigarette. Doula had seen those before, and it was not one of the kind that contained only tobacco. “Make you feel all kinds of better,” he promised.

Doula opened her mouth to protest, to say she never smoked and she wasn’t going to start now. Problem was, that’d be a lie. She had tried cigarettes and she didn’t hate how it made her feel. Once or twice when she was hanging with the Ren Fayre gang, she even tried a little herbal refreshment like this. It never did her any harm, and it sure would make her feel better about the Kwan situation, she knew that. Sneaking one more glance at her oblivious crush, Doula found he was still ignoring her entirely.

“Sure,” she said to Tommy then, finding him a smile. “Let’s go get seriously relaxed.”

* * *

“I know you’re sorry, you said it eight times already. Doesn’t change the fact I have to go to this party alone now. That’s kind of embarrassing when everybody is expecting you to take me.”

Dean stopped by his daughter’s bedroom door when he heard her talking on the phone. Alison had her back to him, twirling her blonde hair around her finger as she listened to the guy on the other end of the line.

Jack Mariano. The name made Dean squirm even though he never met the kid and knew next to nothing about him. What he did know was that he was the offspring of Rory and Jess, and somehow more like his father than his mother, at least Dean tended to assume so. Remembering what a little punk Jess was as a teen didn’t give Dean any confidence in Jack, but Lindsay insisted on him giving the boy a chance and not judging him by his father since that was unfair. Besides, Jess had grown into a responsible adult and proven himself worthy of Rory, Dean had to admit that. Maybe Jack was a nice boy, but he was still a teenager of the male persuasion who had kissed Alison goodnight a little too long on their first date. Any father would be wary.

“Well, you can always make it up to me later,” said Alison, giggling girlishly. “Jack! You’re making me blush!”

Dean winced just considering what was being said on the phone. He tapped on Alison’s door before pushing it further open, showing her his watch to remind her it was getting late. She nodded slightly, smiling angelically before turning her attention back to her call.

“You know I can’t stay mad at you,” she told Jack. “It’s crazy, I just feel like there’s something special between us already. Don’t you?”

Dean closed the door and walked through to the kitchen. He found Lindsay just finishing off cleaning up. She looked at him as he leaned in the doorway and let out a long sigh.

“You okay?” she checked.

“Yeah. No,” he corrected, running a hand over his face. “I thought I was okay with Ally dating. I even thought I could deal with the guy she liked being Jack, but... I don’t know,” he explained badly, shrugging because he just didn’t have the words.

Lindsay moved closer and put her arms around him, kissing his cheek.

“She’ll be fine. Our daughter is much too smart to wind up hurt or pregnant or something at her age,” she explained, the subtle dig at Rory not going unnoticed by Dean. “We raised her right, and you know what Stars Hollow is like. Everybody is watching everybody else. Nothing terrible is going to happen,” she promised, smiling up at him.

“I’m sure you’re right,” he agreed, leaning down to kiss her lips. “C’mon, let’s go to bed,” he said, taking her hand and leading her to their room.

Alison heard them walk by and smiled to herself. She put on quite the show for Mommy and Daddy when needed, and she certainly had to if she wanted to get any attention these days. Honestly, for all that she said, she was relieved not to have Jack accompany her to her friend’s party Friday night. He was cute and all, but kind of a bore. Being as he was a Mariano, he played his part excellently in her little plan. Nothing like a good old family rivalry to stir up trouble. Alison could go for the whole Romeo and Juliet thing, minus the dying, obviously. A little drama never hurt anyone.


	14. Chapter 14

Emily Gilmore had changed over the years. Part of the shift in her personality had occurred when the kids were born. She had to give a little over Rory's unexpected pregnancy if she didn't want to lose another important person from her life. She accepted Jack, as well as Jess, under duress at first, but by the time Billy and then Tori came along she was in love with those kids and just a little softer than she used to be with the rest of her family too.

Friday Night Dinners stopped being mandatory a great many years ago, but Lorelai and Luke, and Rory and Jess would come over on a semi-regular basis when the kids were young, and eventually a new routine had been established that everyone would get together at the Gilmore mansion on the third Friday of every month. Logistically, every week just wasn't practical with everybody's jobs, businesses to run, the kids school, homework, and extracurriculars, but this arrangement worked for everyone.

To this day, there were complaints about being summoned to the house, but no serious objections ever came to light anymore.

Since Richard died, Emily had changed even more, reaching out to her family with genuine love and a need of support. She still had an acid tongue when the need arose, but she had definitely softened a lot, realising perhaps that she should enjoy her life and her family as much as she could before it was too late. Richard had made her promise not to spend the rest of her days mourning when the time came. He wanted her to embrace her remaining years and live them to the fullest. She tried, but the whole family knew she found it hard every day to be without him.

"I swear you three keep on growing every time I see you," she said, finding a smile for her great-grandchildren and grandson tonight at least. "My word, if this goes on much longer you'll all be eight feet tall before long."

"I don't think I've grown in the last month, Gran," said Tori with a grin. "Pretty sure it's the heeled shoes that Mom finally let me buy."

She showed off her footwear and Emily smiled approvingly.

"Well, you are becoming quite the young lady, Victoria."

Even now, Gran refused to shorten her name and it made Tori bristle just a little bit. She didn't hate her given name, not least because she knew she was named for Grandma Lorelai, but nobody else called her Victoria unless she was in trouble, be that with a teacher in school or one of her family members. It was just Gran who insisted she didn't like shortened names. Ironic really that she was okay with calling Tori's mom Rory then, but when that point had been raised many years ago, Emily just said that was different. Her looks and tone proved no further argument would be worth the effort.

They were all sat around the dinner table now, at seven sharp, just like always, and Emily seemed keen to hear all the latest news that had come up in her family.

"You're all growing up so fast," she said, looking from Tori to Jack and then Billy. "I suppose you boys are both dating by now?"

Billy tried to hide his face in his food. Jack squirmed uncomfortably before finally giving in and answering since it seemed nobody was going to help him out.

"There's this one girl at school. She's nice, I think you'd like her, Gran," he said with a smile. "We're kind of dating."

"Does this nice girl have a name?" she checked, putting a dainty forkful of potato into her mouth.

"Alison Forester."

"Forester?" she echoed thoughtfully. "Forester. Why is that name familiar?"

"Rory used to date Dean Forester, Mom," Lorelai reminded her. "You remember the boy that built her the car in high school? He's Alison's father."

"Oh," said Emily, lip curling with distaste. "Well, that's... What a coincidence," she said, as if she didn't quite believe it.

All attention went back to the food then, as Rory and Jess shared a look across the table. Both were relieved not to have Emily delve too deep into the whole Jack and Alison situation. Of course, the downside to her letting go of that line of questioning so fast was that she was just bound to pick up on another. If she started in on Tori, that was an area that even Rory and Jess were not altogether happy about yet.

"I suppose you're a little young to be thinking of boys yet, Victoria?" said Emily.

Jess visibly winced. Rory tried to placate him with her expression alone as their daughter spoke up.

"Actually, Gran, I... Well, there's no way I'd get serious about a guy yet," she said eventually, shoving a large piece of meat into her mouth.

She could feel eyes upon her all down the table, but Tori chose to ignore the incredulous stares. The truth was, she and Dax were not serious. They'd had one date that barely earnt the title, and surely it was safer not to tell Gran about a guy when she didn't even know his full name yet.

"And what about you, William?" Emily asked Billy then.

Tori tried not to smile too wide. He got the same full name treatment she did and hated it just as much. Plus she was pretty sure he was not going to appreciate the dating interrogation any more than she did. That said, they were all intrigued by Billy's lack of dating or potential secret dating. If anyone could get the whole truth out of him, maybe it was Gran.

"Any young ladies in your life right now?" she prompted when he hesitated to answer.

Lorelai and Luke had both stopped eating, staring at their son to see if he would crack for his grandmother where he wouldn't for them. Both expected to hear their son was dating Belinda from Taylor Doose's Soda Shoppe. Unfortunately, Billy did nothing but squirm and carry on shoving food in his mouth. Emily took his silence to mean something significant and jumped at the chance to be the most forward thinking of modern grandparents.

"Oh, well," she said with a look Lorelai couldn't read until it was all too late. "I'm certainly not unaware of how the world works these days, and goodness knows I wouldn't be the kind of grandmother to judge if you needed to tell me there is some boy that you had your eye on..."

"Geez!" Billy exclaimed, slamming flatware against his plate and making everybody jump. "Seriously?" he checked, looking around the table at all the stunned faces. "I know April had that Idgie Threadgood phase in college, but it is not automatically in the genes, okay?!"

The second he was done yelling, Billy pushed his chair away from the table and stormed out of the dining room. There was a brief amount of whispering over who should go after him, and in the end, it was Luke who gave chase. Nobody knew what to think or what to say next. Unsurprisingly, it was Emily who found her tongue first.

"Idgie Threadgood?" she echoed.

"Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe," said Jess, like an automatic reaction, barely glancing her way.

"It's a movie," Lorelai supplied.

"And a book," added Rory. "Which is probably the more relevant in this case."

Jess nodded his agreement to that, but Emily still looked lost. Just when she opened her mouth to ask for further explanation that nobody was likely to want to give, Lorelai jumped in.

"Hey, Mom, did I tell you that April is getting married?" she said quickly. "Paul popped the question at Christmas and while they haven't set a date yet, they are planning to get married out of the Dragonfly."

"Well, I'm very happy for her I'm sure, and you know I love a good wedding." Emily smiled just thinking about such a happy event. "If April wants any help with the arrangements, you must tell her to call me. I have plenty of free time and I would love to offer my expertise."

"I... I'll tell her mom," Lorelai agreed, though she knew damn well April would never accept the offer.

"So, what's going on with you, Gran?" asked Tori, thinking maybe it was safer to get Emily onto a topic like the DAR or similar than have her interrogating anyone else.

There was a silent collective sigh around the table when Emily took the bait. Bored was so much better than on edge!

* * *

"Billy?" Luke called as he let himself in through the next door.

It was strange to find himself in Richard's old study. Nothing much had changed in there. The same books lined the bookshelves, the painting of Rory was still up on the wall, flanked by family photographs from when the kids were all much younger. Luke almost expected that when the desk chair turned he would see Lorelai's father sat right there with a scotch in one hand and a cigar in the other. It was almost strange to meet his son's eyes instead.

"I'm not going back out there," said Billy definitely. "Dad, I didn't even want to come here tonight, and I sure as hell... heck, can't deal with Grandma interrogating me. Geez, she may as well shine a light in my eyes!"

"Hey, I know she can be kind of intense," Luke sympathised, pushing the door closed and coming over to the desk. "But Billy, she doesn't mean any harm. I actually think she was trying to be nice for a change. It's a pretty big deal for someone as old-fashioned as Emily Gilmore to say she would accept a gay grandson."

"But I'm not gay!" exclaimed Billy, slamming his hand on the desk. "Why does she even think that?"

"I don't know." His father shrugged, reaching to adjust the hat he wasn't wearing out of sheer force of habit. "I... I guess she's just doing what all parents and grandparents do, she's trying to take an interest. When you didn't react to 'do you have a girlfriend?' she went with 'do you have a boyfriend?'"

"Well, I don't. I like girls just fine, okay?"

"Okay." Luke nodded. "But you do realise getting all riled up like this will only make things worse. Your grandma is going to think you're protesting too much now or something, plus she's going to expect an apology."

Billy put his hands over his face a moment then ran his fingers back through his hair. He hated this. He hated that he was lying to people, but if the truth came out, that would probably be even less acceptable to Grandma Emily than if he were gay. Certainly his parents would be less than happy.

"Okay," he said at last. "I'll go back, I'll apologise. I am sorry, Dad," he said, getting up from the seat and coming around the desk towards the door.

"I know, son. These dinners don't bring out the best in any of us. Never have done, never will," he sympathised, patting Billy on the shoulder. "I ever tell you about the time your cousin Jess came to dinner with a black eye?"

"Yeah." Billy laughed recalling that particular tale. "I guess I'm doing okay compared to that."

"I guess you are," agreed Luke, smiling as they headed back to the dining room.

Something was definitely going on with Billy, something that had to do with dating in some way. Convinced as Luke was that his son was being truthful when he said he wasn't gay, he couldn't figure out why he was hiding a possible relationship, be it with Belinda Pressley or anybody else. At some point the truth would out, it always did. Lorelai insisted it was best to let Billy talk about it in his own time. Luke only hoped it wouldn't be too late by then.

Maybe when they got home, he should bring up the topic of the right way to treat a woman, and touch upon the whole safe sex thing again. He tried once before, but Billy had been so grossed out and embarrassed they never got very far. Perhaps it was worth a second try sometime soon.

"Sorry, Grandma," Billy muttered as they returned to the table and he and Luke retook their seats.

"Let's not talk about it anymore," said Emily graciously. "Romantic relationships aren't everything in life, after all, and you have years ahead of you for that kind of thing. Your mother tells me you're doing well in school, William, and working hard at your father's diner."

"Yes, ma'am" agreed Billy, pushing the remains of his dinner around the plate without eating - it was all cold by now. "I'm going to help out plenty whilst Rory and Jess are away."

Emily's attention went to her granddaughter then and Rory smiled.

"Oh, we're going to Philadelphia, just for a couple of days," she explained. "Jess has an event to attend at Truncheon Books, where his books were first published. I thought I'd go along, make kind of a road trip out of it."

"Well, that certainly sounds lovely," said Emily, smiling also. "But what about Jack and Victoria? Where will they be?"

"We're staying home, Gran," Tori explained.

"Alone? Oh no, that's no good at all," said Emily, shaking her head definitely. "Well, you kids could come stay here with me for a couple of nights! We have plenty of room and wouldn't it be lovely to spend some time altogether?"

Tori and Jack looked across the table at each other with comically wide eyes. They both loved their great grandma, without question, but staying at her house for the weekend when they could be home alone certainly didn't appeal. Jack planned to see Alison on Saturday, and Tori was hoping to see Dax at some point. None of that was going to happen if they were here.

"You know, that sounds great, Gran, but we have so much to do this weekend," said Tori fast.

"Yeah, the homework just keeps on coming," Jack threw in. "Plus we might be needed to help out at the diner, and then there's the band. Y'know, we're trying to be supportive right now."

"Of the band?" asked Emily.

"Both bands," Tori nodded quickly. "Anarchy's Child are suffering the lack of a drummer, and Hep Alien are feeling a little rusty - they need reassurance that they're still good enough for their reunion gig. Y'know it's only four weeks away."

"Oh, well, if you're so very much needed elsewhere," said Emily, gesturing for the maid to take away the plates and bring out dessert already. "It would have been very nice to have your company."

"Some other time, Gran. We'll visit, we will," said Jack definitely.

"Sure," agreed Tori. "Any other time."

Emily smiled like she meant it and patted Tori's hand.

"Sometimes I forget you kids have lives of your own. Why, it only seems two minutes ago you were just these little tiny things that could barely walk."

"Tell me about it," Jess muttered into his glass of water.

"They do grow up fast" agreed Rory. "I mean, it only seems like yesterday that we were in high school, and now the kids are that age."

"Oh, Rory, I meant to tell you, I ran into an old school friend of yours this last week," said Emily then. "You remember Louise Grant, don't you?"

"Of course!" Rory enthused. "Wow, I haven't seen her in... I don't even know how long. How is she?"

"Louise?" Lorelai cut in, frowning hard. "One of Paris' minions, right? The brunette?"

"The blonde," Rory corrected, looking past her at Emily for an answer to her question.

"She's doing very well. Apparently she made a very advantageous marriage a little over a year ago to a young widowed man in town. I confess I must have read the announcement but never put the name to the face. She seems very happy as the new Mrs Anthony Cooper."

"Good for her," said Rory, nodding her head. "You don't have the address, do you? I wouldn't hate seeing her, find out how she's doing?"

"Well, I'm sure I could find it for you," Emily agreed. "Oh, I do think it's wonderful when school friends meet up again later. You girls from Chilton really ought to see more of each other. I'm sure it would be good for you to keep company with that kind of elevated society more often, Rory."

Jess bit his lip so he didn't say something he shouldn't, putting all his focus on his dessert. These were the moments when he really hated Friday Night Dinner, mostly because it reminded him of the first one he ever came to. Still, dinner was almost over and he and Rory had an excuse to leave early. They were off to Philly first thing tomorrow, the first weekend the two of them would have spent completely alone in too many years. The thought of it was enough to put a smile back on Jess' face and keep it there for the rest of the evening, regardless what Emily Gilmore decided to say or do.


	15. Chapter 15

“And I left some money in the box on top of the refrigerator for emergencies, and you have our cell numbers, but just in case you can’t get through, I put a note on the fridge with the number for Truncheon, and Uncle Matt’s cell, and Uncle Chris’ cell, plus the name and address of the hotel. Oh, and...”

“Mom, seriously?” said Tori, almost laughing at how frantic her mother had become. “We’re fourteen and sixteen, not four and six. We know how to take care of ourselves for a couple of days.”

“And in the rare event that we actually forgot how to function like young adults, we have a gazillion people we can call for help,” Jack pointed out. “We will be fine.”

“They're right, Ror, and you know it,” said Jess, tugging on his wife’s hand. “Now come on, one last hug goodbye and then into the car, please?”

With a heavy sigh, Rory finally admitted defeat. She knew she was being dumb. Not only did she trust her kids, she also knew Stars Hollow was just about the safest place in the world. Plus Jack had a point about all the people around if they should need anything. Lorelai and Luke already said they would keep an eye on the kids and the house, and there were so many folks willing to lend a hand if needed. There really wasn’t anything to worry about.

“I miss you guys already,” she told the kids, hugging them close with one arm each.

“Have a great time, Mom,” said Jack with a smile.

“Yeah, and try not to worry about us, because we’re fine,” added Tori, kissing her cheek.

Rory waved to them both as she got into the car and Jess shut the passenger door behind her. He then turned towards his kids, sporting his best fatherly glare.

“Do I have to do the teen movie list of rules or are we all good?” he checked.

“So, no parties, no underage drinking, no unprotected sex...” Jack counted off on his fingers with a smirk Jess ought to have been proud to have passed on via genetics.

“And no Risky Business?” added Tori, looking to her brother, who did not leave her hanging on the high five.

“Tell me again why we’re trusting you?” said Jess, eyes closed in mock horror for a moment. 

“Because you raised us not to follow in your hoodlum footsteps,” said Tori, throwing her arm around him and kissing his cheek. “Go be cool in Philly, Dad. We promise not to burn the house down.”

“Make sure your brother doesn’t get into trouble,” he said deliberately loud enough for Jack to hear. “And if any boys come around looking for your sister, you have my permission to issue warnings,” he told his son, only half-kidding.

“Dad!” Tori whined even as Jack cracked up.

Jess waved goodbye in a salute-type manner as he got into the driver’s side of the car and strapped in.

“This feels so weird,” said Rory, looking back at the kids now waving from the porch.

“I guess it does,” her husband agreed, starting the car and turning up the radio. “But think about how cool it’ll be to pretend we’re their age again,” he suggested as Guns of Brixton blared from the stereo.

Rory laughed and leaned over the gear shift to kiss him, before Jess finally left the driveway and they headed off to Philadelphia.

Jack and Tori waved until their parents were out of sight and then both sighed in unison.

“I was starting to think they would never leave,” said Tori. “Which would suck for them, because they really deserve this trip.”

“Agreed,” Jack nodded. “So, you got plans today?”

“Not really,” she admitted.

“Me either,” he said as they went back into the house. “Our parents have left us alone for the weekend and we have no plans, wild or otherwise. How sad is that?”

“Pretty sad,” Tori considered. “What kind of teenagers are we anyway?”

“Sensible ones?” suggested Jack.

“Tired ones?” Tori added.

They stood in the living room and stared ay each other a moment before both speaking as one.

“I’m going back to bed!”

* * *

“Hey, big brother!”

Luke winced when Liz came crashing into the diner between the breakfast rush and the upcoming lunch rush. As much as he loved his sister, he really appreciated the lull in the battle between meal times when he could get some tasks done that could fall by the wayside most of the time, like refiling the ketchups and checking the storeroom.

With Jess gone all weekend, he was the only manager until at least Monday, and though Luke had enough staff to help out, it wasn’t the same as leaving his business in the capable hands of another adult with a monetary interest. It was almost twenty years since Luke had run the diner alone, and quite honestly, he felt a little weird about it.

“Liz, I can’t really talk right now,” he told her, moving past her to buss a couple of tables in the corner.

“What? You’re not even busy, bro!” said Liz, moving to hop up on a stool by the counter. “I purposefully didn’t come here any earlier so I avoided the breakfast rush. Actually, that’s not exactly true. I’m never really very up and at ‘em any earlier than this on a weekend, and when I am, well, y‘know T.J. likes to be up and at ‘em with me, if you know what I mean.”

“Unfortunately, yes, I do know what you mean,” said Luke, with a shudder he couldn’t help. “And boy do I ever wish I didn’t.”

“Y’know, it’s crazy? We live in the same town, we have kids that go to school together, we’re all family, and yet I feel like you and me never have time to talk.” Liz sighed, putting her hand over Luke’s own on the counter. “Why is that Luke? Why do we never talk anymore?”

“Geez, I don’t know, Liz,” he said, shaking her off. “You’re busy, I’m busy, we’ve got jobs and kids and... What do we really even need to talk about?” he asked her, genuinely curious by now. “Is there something specific you need help with? Is it money? Because-”

“No, it’s not money!” she interrupted, waving his question away as if that were ridiculous. “Why would you think that?”

Luke opened his mouth to say ‘because it usually is’ but quickly changed his mind. It wouldn’t do him any good to get into a fight with his sister. She would get upset and go cry all over Lorelai, which would make her upset, and Luke could do without all the female tears today of all days.

“So, what’s up, Liz?” he tried instead, figuring that maybe if he just let her say what she came to say they could get this over with.

That sounded bad even in his own head, but quite honestly, he just wanted to get on with some work without any problems today. It was making him nervous enough knowing Jess and Rory’s kids were alone in their house unsupervised, especially with them both newly dating. Now he had to worry what mess Liz might’ve got herself into. Sometimes she was more of a worry than any of the teenagers in their extended family.

“It’s probably nothing,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s just... It might be my imagination, but when Doula came home the other night, I thought... I thought I smelled pot,” she said in a whisper.

Luke’s eyes were ridiculously wide.

“On Doula?” he checked.

“Yeah.” Liz nodded. “I mean, I guess even if I’m right, I can’t really say much about it. You know what I was like at her age, and older,” she said, rolling her eyes. “That stuff is normal, right? A little experimentation never hurt anyone.”

“Liz! Do you hear yourself?” he yelled at her, suddenly very aware of the number of patrons in the diner. “Come on,” he said, urging her up off the stool.

Luke called to Caesar to say he would be five minutes, manoeuvring Liz by the shoulders through the curtain and towards the stairs ahead of him.

* * *

“Are you sure we’re okay being up here?”

“Relax,” Billy told her, kissing her neck. “Look around, this isn’t a place anybody usually hangs out. I mean, it used to be an apartment, but it’s mostly been storage space for as long as I can remember.”

Tara tried to relax, and Billy was sure helping her along, planting kisses on her skin, his hands sliding up inside her shirt all too easily. She loved him so much, though she never actually said the L word yet. Neither of them had gone that far, but every time they saw each other lately they seemed to get a little further in other ways.

“Damn!” Billy exclaimed, seemingly trying to pull away but not getting very far.

“Oh, sorry,” said Tara, seeing the trouble and immediately trying to help. “I meant to take this off before we got started.”

The chain from her belt had somehow tied itself around one of the loops on Billy’s jeans making it impossible to move at all. Not that two teenagers that had been seeing each other this long were necessarily against being joined at the hips, but this maybe wasn’t the most comfortable way for it to happen.

By the time she got them unhooked, the moment had kind of gone, besides, when Tara started thinking about where she was again, it was a pretty major turn off.

“If this is storage, why is there even a bed up here?” she asked, kohl-rimmed eyes scanning the room. “You didn’t put it in here for...?”

She didn’t even need to finish the question for Billy to deny it fast.

“No way!” he promised her. “Dad crashes here sometimes. So does Jess, I think. When they fight with their wives, guys need a place to go, I guess.”

Tara looked down at the bed they had been reclining on and quickly got up. She was all for making out with Billy Danes somewhere private, but not on a bed that his father and his cousin had both slept in at one time or another. That was pretty high on the squick factor scale.

“That’s too weird!” she declared, standing back with her arms folded across her chest.

“Well, I figured you didn’t want to make out on the floor,” said Billy, rolling his eyes. “And since you and me are a secret, there are a limited number of places to go.”

“I know.” Tara sighed, running red tipped nails through her spiky jet-black hair. “I know that it’s tough, but we’re keeping this quiet for a reason, Billy. Can you imagine what would happen in school if it ever got out? Me and the quarter back of the football team? My friends would think I sold out. Plus most of your buddies on the team still call me Drusilla, and that's if they even deign to address me at all.”

Billy shook his head and ran a hand over his face. This was insane. He really, really liked Tara, a lot, but telling his friends he was dating her would be some kind of social suicide. He knew he shouldn’t care about that kind of thing, but high school was a minefield and he could do without all the hassle. Tara understood, because she didn't want all the drama either. People wouldn’t think she was all about a quiet life given the way she dressed and acted sometimes, but she really was as determined to keep their relationhip on the down low as Billy was. Neither his family nor hers had any clue they were together. Only Tara’s sister, Belinda, was in on the secret, and then that was mostly for logistical purposes.

Tara hung out in the Soda Shoppe a lot. She had managed to convince her friends to go in a couple of times, but mostly she went in alone on the pretense of hanging with her sister. Through the glass between the diner and the store next door, Billy got to at least see Tara every day, even when he couldn’t get a chance to talk to her or kiss her. They had been going on like this since last Summer, catching stolen moments whenever and wherever they could, but the more serious they got about each other, the more strained things seemed to become.

“Okay, so our friends would kind of flip if they knew about us,” Billy considered, reaching out for Tara’s hands, taking hold of her by the hips and pulling her closer when she refused to budge at all. “But what kind of friends are they if they don’t like us for liking each other? I mean, at the very least, shouldn’t our families be okay with this, so long as we’re happy?”

“Are you kidding me?” scoffed Tara, her hands going to his shoulders if only to balance herself. “My dad hasn’t been okay with anything I’ve done since seventh grade, and that only leaves Bel.”

“And she’s okay with us being together. She’s even helped us out by covering for us with your father and in school,” Billy reminded her, locking his arms around her waist. “I think maybe my folks would be cool, if I told them. My mom, she’s kind of relaxed about dating. She has to be, she got pregnant with my sister when she was sixteen,” he said, rolling his eyes at the very thought. “Dad’s a little tougher to crack, but when he gets to know you, he’ll love you, just like...”

He stopped talking very abruptly. Tara wasn’t entirely sure if he had just realised he was about to say he loved her and thought better of it, or if Billy thought he heard someone coming. His eyes darted to the closed door and she followed his gaze, certain by now that she heard something too.

Beyond the door, voices were talking, in fact they were yelling. Billy recognised his father as one of the people approaching and Aunt Liz as the other.

“I don’t see why it’s such a big deal!”

“Oh, you don’t? Really? Liz, you may have screwed up your life and very nearly screwed up Jess’ too, but we are not going down the same road with Doula, we’re just...”

“Luke!”

The way Liz screamed had Billy up off the bed in a second, dragging Tara behind him as they both dove towards the door. Wrenching it open, they found a panicked Liz on the other side, and Luke in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the stairs, out cold.


	16. Chapter 16

When Lorelai got to the hospital she was faced with a panicked Liz, a worried looking Billy, and a punk girl she was pretty sure she had never seen before in her life, because damn she would have remembered if she had. There wasn’t time to wonder in that moment, all she cared about was how her husband was doing.

As it turned out, Luke was going to be just fine. He had only been knocked out for a minute, and after a thorough checking over it seemed he had no permanent injuries to the spine, no internal bleeding, nothing truly horrible. Unfortunately, Luke wasn’t quite lucky enough to escape completely unscathed, as his leg raised up and ready to be covered in plaster proved.

“Oh, Luke!” said Lorelai as she went into his room, rushing to hug him.

“It’s okay, I’m okay,” he promised her, holding on tight and kissing her hair.

“I was so worried when Billy called and said you fell and... You have no idea how much of a panic I was in!”

“I think I can guess.” Luke smirked, sure he was used to his wife’s hysterical tendencies by now. “But like I said, I’m okay. Just my leg that’s not so good.”

He gestured to the raised limb and winced some when just flexing the muscles made them scream in protest. Lorelai followed his gaze to his leg and sighed heavily.

“I don’t like you being broken,” she said sadly. “You’re the guy who always wants to be doing something. You hate to sit around too long, and when you break your leg, it’s all you can do. I should know, this happened to me once!”

“I remember you telling me.” Luke nodded. “Is Billy okay?” he checked then, concerned for his boy who was apparently the one to find him.

“He’s a little shaken up but he’ll survive,” she explained, tears suddenly streaking down her cheeks unchecked. “You can’t go scaring us like that, Luke. I can’t... God, the idea that something terrible had happened...”

“Hey, nothing so terrible,” he reminded her, his hand at her cheek, thumb wiping away stray tears. “I’ll live. Sure, it’s gonna be a pain in the ass working around a busted leg for a while, and of course this had to happen while Jess is out of town and everything, but we’ll deal.”

“We will,” Lorelai agreed, hugging him one more time, leaning back to kiss his lips. “Did I mention that I love you? Like, a lot.”

He smiled at the way she said it, in that way which only Lorelai could.

“I love you too. More than a lot,” he promised, pulling her into another kiss.

Two nurses appeared after a few moments, complete with bandages and plaster. Apparently it was time to get Luke’s leg fixed up and Lorelai was asked to leave. She promised she wouldn’t go far, thinking how now was probably a good time for a conversation with her son about what she assumed was his new girlfriend.

As soon as she hit the waiting area, Lorelai had Billy rushing towards her with Liz all but a pace behind.

“He’s going to be fine,” she promised them both. “Broken leg, that’s the only injury, but they are keeping him here for twenty four hours under observation, just because of the being knocked out thing,” she explained.

Immediately Liz thanked God and then rushed off to call her home to let T.J. and Doula know the latest. Billy rubbed his forehead and let out a long breath. He had been in such a panic, the tension was just coming off him in waves. Lorelai knew he was doing his best to be the big tough man right now, but this whole thing had shaken him to the core. Sometimes it was easy to forget he was only a teenager, barely more than a child.

“C’mere, kid,” she said, pulling him to her for a big bear hug. “Oh, Billy. This is not one of those days I wanna ever repeat, I’ll tell you that.”

“Me either,” he declared over her shoulder. “Mom, I... it was really freakin’ scary seeing Dad like that,” he told her when they parted.

“I know, honey,” she sympathised, hands holding his face. “But you did good. You called 911, you calmed down Aunt Liz, and now you can stop worrying because Dad is going to be just fine, okay?”

“Okay,” he agreed, nodding his head and finding a weak smile.

“So, who’s the girl?” asked Lorelai then. “I’m guessing she’s the big secret you’ve been keeping, and I’m pretty sure I can guess why too.”

Billy squirmed.

“Her name is Tara Pressley,” he explained. “Her dad was actually buddies with my dad for a while, when they were our age.”

“Pressley?” Lorelai echoed with a frown. “I know that name.”

“Her sister, Belinda, works in the Soda Shoppe.”

Suddenly everything clicked into place in Lorelai’s head and she literally face-palmed as she realised how close she and Luke had been to figuring out what was going on with their son. Billy wasn’t dating Belinda, he was dating Belinda’s sister, and since she was a little on the Joan Jett side of the line, he hadn’t quite felt comfortable telling everybody about her.

“And you kept her a secret, because why?” she checked, even though she was sure she already knew. “I mean, am I not the coolest mom you know? You honestly think I would judge?”

“From what Rory says, you judged Jess pretty hard when he first came around.”

“Yes, well, that was different,” said Lorelai. “And besides, I turned out to be wrong about him, so let’s try a different approach this time,” she added, walking away fast so she wouldn’t have to explain herself anymore. “Tara, right?” she said as she headed straight for the girl sat by the wall, trying to look interested in a two year old fashion magazine that probably made her want to puke. “Hi, I’m Lorelai.”

“Nice to meet you,” said the girl, awkward as anything as she dropped her reading material and shook hands with Lorelai. “Er, I hope your husband is okay?”

“Oh, he’ll be fine. Us Gilmore-Danes, we’re a tough family. Case of having to be apparently,” she said with a laugh. “Um, so you and Billy, huh?”

“Kinda, yeah,” Tara agreed, nodding her head. “I’m sorry we snuck around so long, but y’know, with me and Billy being from different sides of life or whatever, it just seemed easier to keep it a secret, although, I guess the secret’s out now?” she said, looking past Lorelai at Billy when he approached.

“Oh, geez,” he groaned, running a hand back through his hair. “I think we’re busted, Tara. I mean, even if mom promised not to say anything, Aunt Liz is...”

He struggled with the right word to describe his aunt who was awesome in her way but had a tendency to go a little nuts over new couples and gossip. This topic was a case for both and she was bound to be spreading the news around like wild-fire.

“Yeah, I think you guys are definitely out of the alternative dating closet,” said Lorelai with a knowing look. “But hey, that’s okay, right? I mean, if you guys are really into each other, what other people think is no big deal.”

“Easy for you to say,” Tara muttered, folding her arms across her chest.

“You’re maybe forgetting how high school can be, Mom,” said Billy.

“Ha!” Lorelai exclaimed. “You’re kidding right? Babe, I’m the girl who attended class with a pregnant belly hanging right out here,” she explained with a gesture to show how big she really had been. “You want laughing, pointing, and talking behind your back? Look no further.”

Billy knew she had a point. Of all the people in the world who should understand what it was to be ridiculed by friends and neighbours it was probably his mom. Lorelai was the coolest parent, he had always thought so, and Billy aspired to be that cool himself as he grew up. For now, he just wanted to get through high school without too much drama. That was unlikely to happen when the whole town realised he and Tara were a couple.

“Okay, look at it this way,” said Lorelai, sitting down beside Tara and pulling Billy down to her other side. “Think about what happened today. When you called and told me what happened to Luke, I was... Wow, I stopped breathing for almost an entire minute, I was so freaked out, and yes, okay, he’s going to be fine, but he might not have been. Now you guys think about each other. If something happened to the other person, would it hurt? Would you just do anything to make the other person be okay?”

“Of course,” Tara said immediately.

“Absolutely,” agreed Billy, barely half a beat behind her.

“Then, kids, you two like each other enough to front out whatever high school throws at you,” she said definitely, patting both their knees as she got up and walked away.

Tara and Billy looked across at each other and both found a smile. Her hand came across the empty seat between them to find his, their fingers intertwining. Maybe they could handle this.

* * *

“So, Grandpa Luke is going to be okay,” said Jack as he came off the phone. “He has a broken leg, so that’s gonna slow him down, but nothing permanent and tragic.”

“Thank God.” Tori sighed. “I mean, you hear about people falling down stairs like that and...”

“Hey, it’s cool,” her brother assured her, pulling her into a hug. “No use thinking about all the bad things that could’ve happened. They didn’t.”

“Is it weird that I really wish Mom and Dad were here right now?”

“Not so much,” said Jack, as they parted. “But if they call, Grandma Lorelai said we shouldn’t tell them what happened. You know what Mom is like, she’ll want to come rushing home, and this is such a rare thing for her and Dad.”

“Yeah, we don’t want to ruin things for them,” agreed Tori, wiping her hands under her eyes that were a little watery in the circumstances. “So, you got plans for the rest of today?”

“I offered our services at the diner, but Grandma Lorelai said they’re gonna leave it closed for the rest of today. She’ll let us know if they need help tomorrow or whatever. Actually, I was gonna head over to Alison’s place,” he said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “But if you want me to hang here with you...”

“No, don’t be stupid. I’m fine,” his sister promised. “Seriously, you should go. From what you said, Alison was disappointed enough about you not taking her to that party last night. I’m guessing you wanna make it up to her.”

“That was the plan,” he agreed. “But only if you’re gonna be okay.”

“I am, I swear,” she promised. “I’m so okay, I’m practically Oklahoma.”

Jack rolled his eyes at her lame joke and went to get his jacket. When he came back, Tori was curled up on the couch with her cell in her hands, grinning again. Somehow he just knew she was texting with that Dax guy and it made Jack a little nervous.

“I thought you were headed out,” she said, catching him standing and staring from his place by the door.

“I am,” he agreed, nodding his head

“And yet, still standing there.”

“I just... Toria, you weren’t going to invite any friends over while I’m gone, were you?”

Tori smirked so hard her father would be proud.

“Only a half dozen guys from the swim team,” she said, her attention fully on her phone. “But don’t worry, the orgy’ll be over before you get home.”

“Keep it up, Charlie Parker,” her brother said shortly.

“For God’s sake, Jack! I am not going to invite Dax over here if that’s your problem, okay?” his sister told him definitely. “You seriously think I want to invite a guy I don’t even know that well yet to come over to my empty house whilst my parents are out of town?” she checked. “That screams ‘come have sex’ and that is so not what I plan to project, okay? Remember me? I’m your sister, not the biggest whore on the block!”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry,” said Jack, hands raised in mock surrender. “And just to prove it, I’m going, right now,” he promised, heading out before he could change his mind.

“Give my regards to the lovely Alison!” she called, though it was likely Jack missed the sarcastic overtones in the slamming of the door. “Probably not a coincidence that she shares her name with John Hughes’ basket case,” she muttered right after, thumbs hammering out another text to Dax.

‘I love my brother, but sometimes he isn’t so bright’

‘Sometimes I think it’d be cool to have a brother or sister’

‘Want to borrow mine? I could lend you a few cousins too’

‘Probably best if we’re not related ;)’

Tori felt herself blushing at that comment and unable to think of any kind of witty reply. She was very glad not to be in any way related to Dax, because she did plan on them getting closer in time. What she said to Jack about not wanting to invite the guy over and give him the wrong idea was very true, but that wasn’t to say she hadn’t given serious thought to what it would be like to date Dax, to have him kiss her and everything. She blushed all the more just thinking about it and her jumbled brain refused to come up with any reasonable thing to write in her next text message.

‘You okay?’ he asked when she hadn’t answered for fully five minutes.

Tori didn’t doubt Dax was worried. After all, they had been messaging back and forth every few seconds for an hour now. She was going to be out of free credit before the weekend was even over, but she just couldn’t help herself. Eventually, she typed out her next message and hit send.

‘I’m fine. I should probably let you know, my parents know about our date. Dad went a little crazed’

‘I guess it’s cool that he cares. I’m not banned from seeing you now, right?’

‘No, but my folks want to know more about you’

Before he could reply to that, Tori followed up with a second quickly typed text.

‘Actually, I could stand to know a little more myself’

‘What are you doing right now? We could meet up’

It was tempting to say yes. A part of Tori was just itching to see Dax again, and hey, if he was willing to tell her some info she could share with the parentals and calm them down, that was all good. Before she could answer, there was a ring of the doorbell, followed by some pretty frantic knocking.

‘Someone at the door. BRB’

Tori got up and dashed to the door, pulling it open to find an agitated Martha on the doorstep.

“Hey, Mar. What’s up?”

“What’s up is the plan is failing!” she told her, coming in just as soon as Tori allowed her room. “Or maybe it’s working too well. This makeover made Alex notice me, but now he seems too freaked out to even talk to me.”

“Huh. Yeah, that is a problem” said Tori, watching Martha flop down on the couch with her face in her hands.

“And to top it all off, Jake Underhill asked me out last night!”

“Jake Underhill? As in Davey’s football buddy?”

“As in him,” Martha confirmed. “I don’t even know what to do! I need advice,” she groaned. “And I know Doula is like the expert in all this stuff, but with Luke in the hospital and all, I didn’t like to bug her, and I figured that even though you don’t have a ton of dating experience either, between us, we must be smart enough to figure out the next move here, right?”

“I guess?” said Tori, though she wasn’t quite convinced.

Glancing at her phone she knew she was going to have to say something to Dax. There was no way she could meet up with him now, not when Martha needed her help.

‘Rain check?’ she texted, before closing her phone and turning all attention to her ‘cousin’.

“Okay,” she said to Martha, clapping her hands together. “I’m thinking we start with Rocky Road Chocolate Brownie Swirl and see where the afternoon takes us...”


	17. Chapter 17

“Hi,” said Jack, shifting awkwardly on the doorstep. “Er, I was hoping to see Alison,” he told her father, who looked none too pleased to see him.

For a minute there it seemed as if Mr Forester was just going to stand and stare at Jack until he went away. It felt something akin to being glared at by Frankenstein’s monster, not least because Alison’s father appeared to be at least twelve feet tall.

“Ally?” he suddenly called over his shoulder.

She came down from upstairs and smiled immediately when she noticed Jack at the door.

“Jack. Hey,” she greeted him.

“Hey,” he replied in kind.

Alison and Jack both looked at Dean, wondering if he was going to let them alone, or more importantly just let Jack in out of the cold already. He didn’t look altogether happy about it, but eventually he moved aside and ushered Jack into the house.

“You two can have the living room,” he said pointedly, presumably making certain that no young man got anywhere close to his daughter's bedroom. “I have things to do.”

Dean made sure to glare extra hard at Jack before he finally left them alone. He might’ve been intimidated if he was anyone else’s son. For all that Jess was being a grown up when it came to his old adversary, Jack had heard from other sources about the good old days when Jess and Dean did battle. In the end, not only had Jess got the girl, but everyone was pretty clear that he was the better man these days. Quite the turnaround from what Jack had heard, but he was very proud of his father and cared little or nothing for the good opinion of Mr Forester. All he was concerned about was Alison.

“So, you missed a great party last night,” she said as she sat down in the centre of the couch, smoothing her skirt just so.

“You know I wanted to take you there,” Jack reminded her, sitting down to her left. “But my great grandma is kind of a stickler about the monthly family meal. There was no way I was getting out of it.”

“So you said.” Alison sighed. “It was totally embarrassing having to tell people you chose some elderly relative over me, well, at least until I told them how old and frail and sick she was. Now you’re some kind of hero,” she told him with a grin. “You’re welcome.”

Jack wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say to that. Clearly Alison was looking for thanks for talking him up, or whatever it was she thought she had done for him. Jack didn’t care for the lying aspect and he really had no interest in the popular kids thinking he was Prince Charming or whatever. He was quite happy being honest and a decent guy.

“So,” he said, pushing his hand back through his hair and deciding to change the subject. “I was thinking maybe I could make to up to you, the whole missing the party thing. You wanna go somewhere today?”

“Like where?” asked Alison curiously.

“I don’t know. We could go grab some lunch and then maybe hit the movie theatre or the book store. Or we could drive over to Hartford. Tori told me about this great record store there...”

“This is the kind of thing you like to do? On a Saturday?” Alison screwed up her face, pulling her cell from her pocket and focusing her attention on it. “Let’s see what we have here...”

Jack watched her as she texted or emailed or whatever she was doing. He craned his neck to look but Alison just tilted the screen away. With nothing else to do, his eyes wandered around the room. It was a nice house, he supposed. Smaller than the Marianos lived in, but nice. If not for Alison’s parents being home, Jack wouldn’t mind hanging out here. The idea crossed his mind to tell her that they could go over to his house, but Tori was there and that might be awkward. Besides, inviting a girl to your empty home implied certain things, and Jack and Alison had only been dating a couple of weeks.

“And we have a winner,” said Alison suddenly with a wide grin. “Maggie’s cousin in Hartford just told her that his folks are going to be out all day. They have a pool, a games room, the whole works,” she explained, getting up and looking expectantly at Jack.

“Oh, we’re going over there?” he checked.

“Well, yeah,” she told him, to rhyme with ‘duh’. “You do wanna spend time with me, right? I mean, I thought we were really getting to know each other,” she said, suddenly salacious as her hand slid into his hair. “I don’t know about you but I feel like we’ve really made a connection.”

Jack was pretty sure he stopped hearing words the moment she touched him like that. He may have blacked out also. Still, fighting with his hormones meant he did at least hear enough of what Alison said to be able to answer her.

“There’s a connection,” he agreed, nodding slowly. “And we can totally go to Hartford if that’s what you wanna do, I just... I, er... I have to check in with my sister before I go, that’s all.”

Jack reached for his cell in his back pocket as he got up, Alsion’s hand sliding down his arm as he did so. She smiled just so, in that way that made him blush beet red. It was a trait he got from his mother and he hated it. Why he couldn’t just be cool like his father, Jack had no idea, but it did not come easy, not around girls. Especially girls he liked, and that was a huge group of one right now.

“I’m gonna go grab my purse,” said Alison, leaning in to kiss his cheek before hurrying off up the stairs.

Jack reminded himself to breathe and text Tori, letting her know where he was headed. If she needed anything, she was to call his cell and he would come home. He got a message straight back that promised she was fine, she was hanging out at home with Martha and she would see him later.

The next moment, Jack heard Alison coming down the stairs and went out into the hall to meet her. He came face to face with Mr and Mrs Forester who appeared from the kitchen together.

“You two going out for the day?” asked Lindsay with a smile.

“Jack’s driving me over to hang out with Maggie and some other friends. That’s okay, right?” asked Alison.

Jack noticed she left out the part where the get together was in Hartford and completely unsupervised by adults. Somehow he figured that her dad would not allow her to go if he knew. Her mom maybe, but not her dad.

“You have fun, sweetie,” her mother told her.

Dean glared. “So long as you are headed to see your friends,” he said to Alison, though his eyes continued to burn in Jack’s direction. “I don’t wanna hear you two were hanging out in an empty house,” he said pointedly.

“My sister is in my house,” said Jack, just as pointedly. “And we’re not going there anyway. She’s having a girls day with a friend.”

Alison and Jack left quickly after that, her hand sliding into his as they went. Lindsay sighed as she watched them go, her head landing on Dean’s shoulder.

“They’re so cute,” she noted. “Although I’m a little shocked at Jack and Victoria being left alone in the house all weekend. I guess you can’t expect any better with parents like that.”

She walked away then, back to the kitchen, calling to Dean about what he might want for lunch. He barely heard her, only listening to the car engine as Jack Mariano drove away with his little girl at his side. Dean knew it was going to be a long day, and a long few days or weeks until Alison came to her senses and dumped that little punk.

* * *

“You doing okay, sweetheart?” asked TJ as he came to join Doula on the couch.

She was staring at the television, flipping channels every five seconds and so not really seeing anything of value as the pictures scrolled on by.

“I guess,” she said, eventually switching off the TV and throwing the remote into the couch cushions. “I just... Uncle Luke will be okay, right?” she checked, looking more concerned than TJ really expected.

“Hey, sure he will,” he promised her, pulling her into a one armed hug and kissing the top of her head. “Your Uncle Luke is made of tough stuff. Besides, a broken leg isn’t so bad. Broke mine once, and here I am, good as new,” he told her, arms open wide in a gesture of ‘look at me now’.

Doula smiled and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “I love you, Daddy.”

“Love you too, baby,” he promised, smoothing her hair off her face. “And don’t worry about Luke . Your mom, I love her to death, but she pumps up the drama some. I’ll bet it ain’t all that bad.”

“You’re probably right,” she agreed, getting up to go outside. “Er, I’m gonna go get some fresh air a while.”

“Okay, well, take your cell. Your mom’ll probably wanna catch up to you when she gets home from the hospital, fill you in on what’s goin’ on.”

Doula made a point of waving her phone at her father so he knew she had it and then she left, no jacket, no keys, just straight out the front door in whatever she was wearing. She didn’t entirely know where she was headed when she got out there, only that she needed air and maybe some alternate company. A part of her wanted to go over to the Van Gerbig house, see if the band were practising or at the very least if Kwan wanted to hang out.

The phone buzzing in her pocket got Doula’s attention. She pulled it out and checked the screen, smiling some when she realised Tommy had sent her a text.

‘You look good in red’

Eyes wide, Doula turned a full circle looking for the guy who had to be able to see her in order to make such a comment. Around the edge of a building on the corner, she spotted him. Setting off an a brisk pace, she met him in a crash of lips and a tangle of limbs. If anything was getting her down, Doula always knew a little making out helped her feel better. Sure, Tommy was no Kwan Van Gerbig but he served his purpose pretty well so far.

“Mmm, you taste like strawberries,” he told her as they parted.

“Lip gloss,” she explained distractedly, one hand creeping inside his jacket. “You got something that tastes better?” she asked, with a look that said it all.

“Oh, baby’s got the taste for the good stuff, huh?” he said, looking around to ensure nobody was watching.

“It’s been a rough day so far, and your little hand-rolled buddy is good for my relaxation levels,” she noted, taking a moment to check the coast was clear just the same as Tommy had already. “C’mon,” she said, grabbing his hand. “I know a place we can go.”

He didn’t need asking twice and willingly followed her.

* * *

“So, it’s not a total bust,” said Tori around a mouthful of Ben and Jerry’s finest. “I mean, Alex has noticed the new look, and he already likes you for you.”

“But he’s not asking me out!” said Martha frustratedly, shoving her spoon hard into the carton. “Why isn’t he asking?”

“Well, maybe he’s shy?”

“Hello, have you met Alex Tramos? He could make Jim Carrey look withdrawn.”

“Yeah, but that’s all talk,” said Tori, shaking her head, “and with girls he knows he doesn’t stand a chance with. This is you, Mar, and it is a very big deal. I think he wants to ask you out, he’s just nervous about what that means. You two have been friends so long, if you take this leap...”

“But I wanna leap!” she said definitely. “God, I wanna leap all over that guy.”

“Martha!” Tori gasped, looking just so shocked.

Martha did not usually talk this way. They all knew she was crazy about Alex and really wanted him to notice her, but she just wasn’t the girl to talk about guys in those kind of terms. Tori could understand her frustration, she supposed, but it still sounded odd coming out of her mouth. It was more like something Doula would say.

“What? Oh, Tori, I don’t know what’s the matter with me!” exclaimed Martha, dumping the ice cream on the table and putting her face in her hands a moment. “I’ve just... I’ve loved the guy since fifth grade and the older we get the more I just really, really want this to happen. Maybe I’m crazy wanting a guy like Alex, but I do. I really do.”

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around Jake asking you out,” Tori considered. “I mean, not that you’re not totally dateable or whatever, but that guy has dated the head cheerleader, the student body president, and there are even rumours that the student-teacher from last year got fired because of her crush on him!”

Martha giggled, more girlish than she had ever been in her life right now. “He is pretty desirable, I guess. He’s just not... Well, he’s not Alex, and I don’t even know how to tell him no without coming off like a bitch. I’ve never refused a date in my life.”

“Well, for that we’re gonna have to wait on Doula’s advice, even if she is a little Ado Annie herself,” she considered. “I’m certainly not the right person for this advice giving thing. I haven’t even had one date yet.”

“That’s not what I heard,” said Martha, retrieving her ice-cream with a sly smile. “You and Dax? A certain record shop in Hartford?” she prompted when Tori attempted to maintain her innocent expression.

“That wasn’t really a date exactly,” she said blushing furiously, recalling how Dax had bought her records in an attempt to prove their trip out was in fact a date. “But I do like the guy and he seems to like me. So far Mom is okay with it and Dad... well, he’s trying not to commit murder, so that’s cool.”

“I can imagine your dad getting pretty scary on any guy that took advantage of you,” said Martha knowingly. “But I’m sure Dax isn’t that guy.”

“I don’t think so” Tori agreed. “But hey, we were talking about you,” she said, making a hasty subject change back to Alex and Jake and that whole debacle.

It was weird for Tori to talk about dating Dax. She supposed that was what she was doing, or on the verge of doing. She wasn’t clear on how much time spent was required to actually call it dating. Jack and Alison had only gone out together once, but all the hanging out at school and all seemed to make them girlfriend and boyfriend, at least in her brother’s eyes. Tori wasn’t adverse to the idea of hanging out with Dax more, but she meant what she said to him before, about getting to know more about him. It wasn’t just her parents that were curious as to his real name and where he came from. Tori wanted to know too, and later on, maybe when Martha went home, she planned to get to finding out.


	18. Chapter 18

“Hey, look at you!” said Lorelai with a big grin as she came into Luke’s hospital room. “The eyes are bright, the tail is bushy. If not for the leg, nobody would ever know you even need a hospital.”

“And good morning to you too,” he said as she came over to sit on the edge of the bed. “I’ll tell you something, I will be happy to get out of this place,” he declared, kissing her ‘hello’.

“I know you’re not a hospital fan. Can’t say as I love them myself,” she added too softly, trying not to think of the last time she had come visiting a loved one in this place. “Er, but you’re fine. You’re okay and getting discharged real soon, right?”

“Right,” Luke agreed, holding her hand tightly. “I can’t remember the last time I woke up and you weren’t there next to me. Not a situation I like much.”

“Me either,” she assured him, squeezing his hand. “I have Billy manning the diner, with Caesar in the kitchen, obviously, and Lane brought the boys over to help out. All hands to the pumps and everything under control.”

“I’ll say one thing for this crazy town of ours, in a crisis, they all pitch in.”

“Yes, indeed! Oh, and there might be one other person helping out. You probably didn't notice yesterday in all the broken bones and unconsciousness, but Billy kind of has a girlfriend.”

“Belinda?” he guessed, given the conversations they had about it before.

Lorelai shook her head. “Close, but no cigar. Actually, the lucky girl is Belinda’s sister - Tara,”

“Okay.” Luke nodded. “And he was keeping this a secret because..?”

“Well, I’m guessing because as far as the Mean Girls high school stereotypes go, Billy is kind of a jock, and Tara is... I don’t know, a punk? A goth? I’m not up on the vernacular,” she admitted, waving her hand to dismiss the whole attempt at labelling, since she didn’t care for it anyway. “The point is Billy really, really likes her, and she likes him. I kinda feel bad that he didn’t want to tell us about her, but honestly, I don’t think it was you and me he was worried about, more that great mess of neuroses and hatred that is high school.”

Luke looked reasonably confused. Lorelai guessed he was having a little trouble keeping up with her speed of talking through the drugs he was doubtless pumped full of. That and even after all these years she wasn’t sure she ever strong-armed him into watching any movie starring Lindsay Lohan, so the reference would be going completely over his head.

“Tara is a punk?” he asked, rubbing his forehead. “They still have those?”

“I guess,” Lorelai shrugged. “I mean, they maybe call them something else now. All I know is she has the whole rock 'n' roll vampire type look going on, but she seems like a really nice girl.”

“Okay.” Luke nodded slowly. “Well, if Billy is happy, I guess that’s what matters.”

“Exactly,” she agreed. “What bothers me a little is that they were sneaking around, hiding in places like the diner apartment without us knowing. Might be time for you to run over the safe sex talk with our boy, just in case. I know he’s not fifteen yet, but you know kids, Luke, especially teenage boys.”

Her husband opened his mouth to argue but then closed it again fast. He remembered fifteen, remembered how far he got with girls back then. Maybe it would be best to have words with Billy about the proper way to behave with a girlfriend, since it seemed he suddenly had one.

“You ever think we have too many kids in our lives?” he said tiredly. “I mean, I love 'em all, you know I do, but right now we have a lot of teenagers full of hormones and issues running around here.”

“You’re not kidding!” Lorelai laughed out loud. “But they’re all good kids, I don’t think we have too much to worry about. You and I had practice enough with Rory and Jess growing up, and everybody seems to be doing okay. Of course, our keeping an eye on Jack and Tori this weekend has become a little troublesome with you all laid up and me running around so much, but I asked Sookie and Jackson to check in, as well as Babette. So far, Casa Mariano is still standing, two teens present and correct last night, with no company.”

“Really? I half expected Alison Forester to be over there,” said Luke thoughtfully.

“Me too. From what I hear, Jack spent the day with her, and Martha was hanging out at the house with Tori, so nothing awful happened.”

“Speaking of awful things happening, we need to keep a closer eye on Doula too, especially for as long as Jess is out of town.”

“Really? What’s up?” Lorelai asked with a frown.

Luke sighed heavily. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s nothing, but Liz thinks... she thinks she smelled pot on Doula,” he explained, lowering his voice as far as he could, despite the fact he and Lorelai were the only people in the hospital room. “I mean, of all people, my sister knows what that stuff smells like, so she’s probably right. I don’t want the kid getting mixed up in all of that. It sure never did Liz any good.”

“Not cool,” said Lorelai sadly. “But maybe she was just hanging out with some people who were doing that, which isn’t a whole lot better,” she realised aloud. “Hmm, well, aren’t Liz and TJ going to talk to her about it?” she asked, before reacting to the look on Luke’s face. “Yeah, that’s not gonna happen. Well, we’ll keep an eye on her, see if we can’t straighten her out before anything too bad happens. Worst case scenario, we wait ‘til Jess gets back and he figures things out with her. A day or two can’t make that much difference, right?”

“I guess not,” Luke agreed. “Honestly, I just wanna get out of this place! Twenty four hours and I already feel useless and annoyed.”

“Don’t stress, babe,” Lorelai urged him, kissing his cheek. “We'll have you out of here in no time, and then we can look at figuring out where we go from here. I mean, you’re gonna be off that leg for a while, so we’re going to need cover at the diner and a way to get you around the place. Where’s Rory with her lists when you need her? Am I right?”

“You’re always right.” Luke smiled at her, meaning every word.

* * *

“I’m just saying it’s not impossible for you to play with the band just because you have this yearning ambition to preach the good book!” said Kwan as he bussed tables in Luke’s diner. “I mean, you can’t be a pastor ‘til you’re done with high school, why not play with Anarchy’s Child until grad?”

“Is he still on that?” asked Billy, rolling his eyes as he took an order to a table across the room.

“It’s not what I wanna do, Kwan,” his brother tried to explain from behind the counter where he was restocking the doughnuts and cupcakes. “I know you can’t understand anybody with rhythm not wanting to rock, but that’s not me anymore. I’m not that guy.”

“You were before.”

“Things change, roll with the punches,” said Steve, never missing a beat.

Kwan rolled his eyes as he came over to the counter and got in his brother’s face.

“Steve, I’m not trying to be a bully here...” he began, but Steve shook his head.

“News flash, that’s exactly what you are being,” he said definitely. “I’m sorry, bro, but the band is your thing and not mine. I couldn’t be happier for you that you’re doing what you want with your life, and I want you guys to make it big, I swear, I just... I can’t be a part of that.”

Kwan stared at Steve for a long moment. He looked as if he wanted to argue some more, but they both knew that was pointless. When Billy and Tara both cut through the scene, it remidned the brothers they were supposed to be working here and the lunch rush was in full swing, no time for this right now.

“Dude, you know that I’m cool with you doing this, right?” said Kwan anyway, waiting until Steve met his eyes. “I mean, I wish you were still rockin’ with us, but, er, this pastor thing you wanna do? It’s very cool, and I know you’ll do great at it.”

“Thanks, Kwan” his brother told him with a smile and complete sincerity in his tone. “I appreciate it. And y’know that Dax guy that Mom is teaching? He’s pretty good already.”

“Yeah, Dad thinks we should give him an audition when he’s had a couple more lessons.” Kwan nodded his agreement. “Apparently he has natural talent or whatever. I don’t know.”

It wouldn't be the same as having his twin in the band, and that was what niggled at Kwan the most. He would never admit it, but he kind of loved that he and Steve were together in the band, that their bond was not just an accident of birth but something even stronger. They were not going to come apart at the seams just because they had different ambitions, Kwan was sure on that, and yet he worried about it.

“Wouldn’t hurt to give him a try,” said Steve then, still speaking of Dax, Kwan realised. “Pretty sure Tori would appreciate him being around more.”

“Yeah, so I hear.” Kwan smirked. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to give the guy a shot. I mean, it'd be the Christian thing to do, right?” he said with a smile that spoke volumes.

“Amen,” said Steve with a similar smirk, before rolling his eyes and getting back to work.

Kwan was pretty sure that despite his worries he and his bro were going to be okay in the end.

* * *

“I just can’t imagine you at a pool party at a big house in Hartford,” said Tori, laughing as she thought about it. “You’re not that guy.”

“I could be that guy,” her brother told her definitely. “I don’t know if I wanna be, but I could.”

“You wanna be that guy because Alison wants to be that girl,” Tori told Jack definitely. “But hey, if you’re happy, I’m not judging.”

Jack looked sideways at his sister and couldn’t help but smile. Sometimes she was annoying as hell, but he always loved her. She had his back for as long as he could remember. So many kids complained about their siblings being pains in the ass and all, but Jack rarely felt that way about Tori and was sure she would say the same about him. They just got along, and that was very cool.

“You’re not judging, but I kinda get the impression you’d like to,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets as they walked along. “You don’t like Alison, do you?”

“I don’t really know her.” Tori shrugged, looking everywhere but at her brother. “Honestly? I just get this vibe from her, like she’s... I don’t know, like she has an ulterior motive or something.”

“You think she’s just pretending to like me so she can take advantage of me?” he asked, play acting a shocked and girly virgin. Tori bust up laughing.

“Yeah, that’ll be it,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“And what about this Dax you like so much?” asked Jack, bumping shoulders with his little sister. “I’m guessing you’ve been talking a lot this weekend?”

“You know we have,” she said with a sigh. “I don’t know, we text a lot yesterday, but I don’t know all that much about him yet. A whole name would be good.”

“Agreed,” said Jack definitely. “So, no plans to see him today?”

“No, I... Okay, change of plans”, said Tori suddenly, her eyes locking onto something or rather someone across the street.

Jack frowned some as he watched her stop stock-still and raised one hand in an awkward wave. He followed her eye line to the figure now hurrying across the square and realised this must be the very guy they had been talking about.

“Hey, I was kinda hoping I’d run into you.” Dax grinned.

Tori shifted awkwardly between her brother and the guy she liked, tucking her hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture that Jack knew so well.

“Er, hi, Dax. Um, this is my brother,” she introduced.

“Jack Mariano,” he said for hismelf holding out a hand.

“Darryl Alexander Cooper,” he replied easily, taking the offered hand and shaking.

It was all pretty civilised for a pair of sixteen year old boys who had every reason to be wary of each other, but Tori really wasn’t thinking about good manners right now. She was more than a little shocked by the revelation of Dax’s real name, as her wide eyes and open mouth attested.

“Well, I should go see if they need help at the diner,” said Jack, knowing Tori would much rather have a little alone time with Dax than have her brother stood there watching over her shoulder. “You’ll be over soon, right?”

“Sure, yeah,” she told him absently, eyes mostly focused on Dax still.

The way he was smiling proved he knew what he had done, and Tori smirked when she realised how clever he thought he was.

“Darryl Alexander? Really?” she checked, just as soon as Jack was gone.

“What? Everybody has a given name, Victoria Lorelai,” he told her smartly. “So I don’t like mine so much, so what? But you said yesterday you wanted to know more about me and I figured now was as good a time as any to be truthful. Besides, your brother was looking at me like he wanted to knock me into next Thursday, and I’m really a lover, not a fighter,” he told her with a wicked smirk and a peace sign to go along with.

Tori laughed, she couldn’t help it.

“So, Darryl Alexander Cooper,” she said when the giggles subsided. “What are you doing in my town?”

“Just swung by with a cheque for your Aunt Lane. Gotta make my payments if I want my lessons.”

“Very true,” she agreed. “Well, I can’t hang around myself. Gotta get to the diner for when Uncle Luke gets home from the hospital. He had a falling down incident yesterday, broke a leg. Downside to a big family, somebody is always having a drama,” she explained, rolling her eyes.

“Well, I guess that means you’re not gonna be available to spend any time with me today, huh?” asked Dax.

Tori didn’t mind at all that he looked kind of sad about it. She would be a strange kind of person if she didn’t want to be wanted, whether it was for her sparkling wit, her looks, or anything else about her. She clearly had something Dax liked and he sure did seem to have some kind of magnetic pull on her too.

“This weekend is kind of a bust,” she said with a sigh. “But we could definitely pencil in some time to hang out sometime soon. Um, I don’t know what’s going to be happening, but I can text you when I know what days I might be free after school?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Dax agreed.

There was a moment when their eyes met and he was smiling that way he did when he looked at her, Tori thought she was going to melt into a pile of goo on the sidewalk. It was pathetic but she just couldn’t control how he made her feel sometimes, call her cazy, but she kind of liked it.

Car doors slamming got Tori's attention in a second, Dax’s too, and they both turned to see Lorelai helping Luke from the back of a cab.

“I need to go,” she said, hiking her thumb towards the scene. “Sorry.”

“No big,” Dax assured her. “We’ll talk soon.”

“Count on it,” Tori promised as she hurried away.


	19. Chapter 19

“I’m serious,” said Billy as he walked towards Stars Hollow High with Jack, Tori, and the twins. “It means a lot to me that you guys are cool, y’know, with Tara.”

“In what ‘verse would we be uncool about Tara?” asked Tori with a look.

“I don’t know,” he replied with a shrug, knowing it was dumb for him to ever consider that his family wouldn’t be okay with whoever he chose to date.

The problem was going to be everybody else. A jock and an outsider, they were definitely going to cause a stir. Billy and Tara had known that from the beginning and it was why they had kept their relationship a secret so long. Now that secret was out, and Billy just had to hope that neither he nor his girlfriend suffered too much backlash from the high school populus.

“Man, I’m not exactly into that look on a chick myself, but I talked to Tara yesterday and she seems cool,” said Kwan as they cleared the doors and headed on down the hallway together. “She really knows her punk music, and she was totally nice about Luke,” he noted.

“What’s important is that you like her, Billy,” said Steve, patting him on the shoulder. “Sure, it’s a bonus if she gets along with your family and your friends, but nobody should be judging, and I’m sure they won’t.”

“In an ideal world,” said Jack. “I mean, people shouldn’t judge, but you know they always do, at least some people.”

“So we ignore that kind of thing, just like always,” said Tori, looking from her brother to her ‘uncle’. “Anybody says anything bad about Tara or you and I won’t be responsible for my reaction,” she said definitely.

“Thanks, Tor,” he replied, smiling wide. “You’re the best. All of you guys, I really appreciate it.”

The bell rang then and the group were forced to part ways. Billy at least seemed a little happier now he knew he had support over his not-so-secret relationship anymore. His parents had been so good about everything, though of course the main focus the last couple of days had been his dad’s accident and how the diner would be run with him mostly out of action. Until Jess and Rory got home later, it was hard to make any definite plans. As it was, Lane was heping out at the diner today, and the menu was a cut down version of its former self just temporarily. The kids could help with waiting tables on weekends and maybe even in the afternoons or evenings sometimes, but school came first, or so Billy had been reminded when he offered to take the day off to pitch in.

At least his mom had promised that she did know he was trying to be kind and helpful, not just trying to avoid the idiots in school who might try to make his life miserable because of Tara. Billy wasn’t so very pathetic that he would skip school just for that. As it turned out, nobody said a word about the relationship all morning, and even when he and Tara met up in the cafeteria for lunch they still didn’t get quite as much attention as they might have been expecting.

“How was your morning?” he asked as they sat down together.

“Weirdly okay,” she said with a smile. “I really thought I was going to take so much crap from Rachel and Evan. Turns out one couldn’t care less and the other kinda had a crush on you this whole time.”

“Rachel has a crush on me?” 

“Nope.”

Billy’s forehead wrinkled up in confusion a moment and then his eyes went wide.

“Okay then,” he said eventually, not sure how he felt about that particular revelation. “Er, should we go sit with them...?”

“Nah, it’s cool.” Tara shook her head. “They had their own plans and I figured I could handle your gang a little easier than you could handle mine right now. After all, I spent most of yesterday with them and they didn’t try to burn me at the stake or whatever.”

“My gang?” Billy laughed at that particular term. “You make me sound like Danny Zuko. You know most of those guys are my family.”

“And doesn’t that screw with the mind?” said Tara, shaking her head but smiling all the same. “I cannot imagine having that many people hanging around and actually liking it. I mean, they’re great, but it’s just not the life I know.”

“Who’s great?” asked Martha as she pulled up a chair, then looked suddenly awkward as Tara and Billy stared at her. “Oh, sorry. Private moment?” she checked.

“Not so much,” her friend confirmed. “Sit down, Mar,” he urged her when she still looked uncertain. “You know Tara, right?”

“Not really”, she admitted. “But hi, Martha Belville,” she introduced herself with a little crazy wave.

“Tara Pressley,” she replied, with a much less excited tone and hand gesture.

“Oh, Belinda’s sister, right? She sits next to me in home room.” Martha smiled.

Billy grinned, glad for all the positivity at the table. Soon the others arrived, Tori and Jaime, with Kwan and Steve in tow. Jack was aparently off somewhere with Alison, Davey was with his football buddies, but the mystery of the day was where Doula was at.

Given that most of the group were either Freshman or Juniors, it was tough to know if Doula had been in class at all this morning. She was the only Sophomore amongst them and as such a little removed from the rest when it came to school work. Not that anybody ever saw her do any homework or heard her talk about class. They usually met up either before or after school though, and almost always saw her at lunch. Apparently not today.

“I don’t see her in any of her usual spots,” said Tori, checking out the table where the jocks usually sat, and then another where some of the girls Doula would hang out with were eating their lunches without her. “And nobody heard she was sick or anything?”

There was a general consensus that nobody had seen or heard from Doulain a couple of days, and there was a sudden realisation that it was weird she hadn’t been at the hospital when Luke was there or at the diner when he came home.

“Maybe she’s with her boyfriend?” said Jaime, carefully shading her latest sketch

She never looked up once, even as her free hand reached for fries and pushed them into her mouth. The hand on the charcoal never stopped colouring once.

“Doula has another boyfriend?” asked Kwan.

“Well, she’s seeing somebody,” replied Jaime, tilting her head the other way as she observed what she had on the page so far. “I didn’t really see his face since it was plastered to hers.”

“Doula’s your cousin, right?” said Tara, whispering across the table to Billy.

“Technically, she’s my sister-in-law too, but yeah, she’s my cousin,” he said awkwardly.

“We’ll get you a copy of the family tree,” said Tori with a smirk. “Seriously, it gets complicated, but everybody gets along so nobody cares too much how the bloodlines run.”

“My family is so small compared to yours,” said Tara, strangely glad of the attention despite her tendency not to mingle as a rule. “There’s really just me, Bel, and our dad.”

“Well, for as long as you’re with Billy, you got all of us too,” said Kwan with a grin. “Hey, you should come hang out at our place next time the band practices. We do a killer cover of Generation X’s Wild Youth.”

As one end of the table got deep into music talk and the other continued musing on where Doula might be, nobody noticed someone new apparaching, until suddenly he was tapping Martha on the shoulder. She jumped so much, she nearly fell in her macaroni.

“Oh, Jake. Hi!” she squeaked as she turned to face him. “Um, how are you?”

Tori bit her lip and winced on her friend’s behalf. This was not going to end well. Martha had quite decided that she definitely could not go on a date with Jake Underhill, no matter how hot or popular he was. Her heart belonged to Alex, rightly or wrongly, and if she couldnt have him, she didn’t want anybody else. She certainly wasn’t going to use one guy to make the other jealous, she just couldn’t be that cruel.

“Can we talk?” asked Jake, tiltling his head towards he door. “Excuse us,” he told the rest of the table as Martha scrambled from her seat to go with him.

“She’s dating him?” asked Tara.

“He asked but she’s about to tell him no,” replied Tori. “Probably best Doula isn’t here for this actually. If she realised Mar turned down the most popular guy in school, her head would probably spin around and explode.”

Everybody had pretty much stopped eating when Jake came over and were still all staring at him and Martha across the cafeteria when suddenly the crumpling of paper caught all their attention at once. Jaime looked self-conscious when she realised all eyes were on her and the large piece of paper she was pounding into a ball between her hands.

“It wasn’t turning out right,” she said in her defence.

A second later she was up from the table and leaving, muttering about needing a bigger workspace. Steve looked concerned.

“Does anybody else worry about her sometimes?” he said, chewing thougthfully on his food.

“Bro, she’s the artistic type,” his brother reminded him. “It’s expected for us to be moody, eccentric, quiet...”

“Quiet?” Billy echoed. “I’m sorry, Kwan, but of all the words in the world to describe you, quiet is not one of them.”

“Amen to that,” said Steve, nothing less than ironically as he and his friend shared a high five.

“Ha ha!” Kwan dead-panned, opening his mouth to say more when suddenly Tori got their attention and gestured across the room.

“I think this is about to get interesting,” she said, watching Alex enter the cafeteria and spot Martha and Jake talking in the nearest corner.

He must have seen the same as the group at the table did, that Martha was looking increasingly awkward and Jake was getting really pissed about something. It had to be assumed that he was not appreciating a girl like her turning down his offer of a date.

“You think we should go over there?” asked Billy. “Mar looks pretty freaked out.”

Nobody got a chance to answer when suddenly they saw Alex make his approach on the scene. Jake’s attention was taken from Martha in a second as he squared up to Alex. Though Jake was older, he actually wasn’t any much taller than Alex, and Tramos was not backing down. The guy wasn’t exactly a coward but he was no hero either. Tori was amazed as she watched him stand his ground until finally Jake walked away. He seemed to make a threat of some kind before he went, but he left all the same.

Martha was staring after Jake for a long moment and then the air went all out of her body as her gaze shifted to Alex.

“Are you okay?” she checked.

“Pretty sure that’s my line,” he replied, trying to not let her notice how freaked out he really felt. “That guy is an ass!”

“His feelings got hurt is all,” she replied, fingers lacing and unlacing. “Nobody wants to be told no when they ask a person out, right?” she asked, knowing as well as he did that she had no experience on either side of that situation, at least not until now.

“Why wasn’t Jack here to back you up when you needed help?” asked Alex, shaking his head.

“Alison,” said Martha with a roll of her eyes.

Alex nodded in understanding. “But you’re cool, right?” he checked, looking as if he meant it and yet hardly able to meet her eyes.

“I’m fine, except...”

Martha stalled after only one more word, knowing she could never do this herself. She so wanted Alex to ask her out. He seemed to want to. They got along so well and he had just stepped into what could have been a nasty situation between her and Jake Underhill without hardly flinching. He had to like her enough, and yet whenever the opportunity presented itself to ask her out, Alex never did.

“Except?” he promoted when she was quiet too long. “I mean, you were serious about not dating Underhill, right?” he checked. “You weren’t just doing that playing hard to get thing that girls do...”

A burst of laughter from Martha’s lips stopped him from saying anymore. Alex looked confused and Martha wasn’t surprised. Her hands covered her face for a moment until she could gain some composure and then, with her eyes almost completely closed, she let her next sentence run out of her mouth like water before she lost her nerve.

“I’m just hoping the right guy will ask me out and for some reason you don’t and it’s driving me crazy!”

Alex looked amazed that she had said it, maybe because he had no idea he was the one Martha wanted, or perhaps just because she confessed it so suddenly. It wasn’t that he hadn’t ever thought of her that way. Even before the makeover, Alex always liked Martha a lot, but he figured she had no interest in him beyond friendship. Besides, she was just Mar. Now she looked like a woman and it was impossible to ignore her anymore, but suddenly she seemed too good for him, both hot and awesome to hang out with. Alex was convinced he didn’t stand a chance, until now.

“Mar, I’m not... You’re serious?” he checked. “I mean, any guy in school would want to go out with you.”

“I don’t want to go out with any guy in school!” she told him frustratedly. “I just turned down Jake Underhill, Alex!”

“But nobody does that!” he said just as frustrated apparently, running a hand back through his hair. “Everybody wants to date Jake. By comparison, I’m... I’m freakin’ Farmer Ted.”

Martha laughed at the reference, she couldn’t help it.

“You are so not Farmer Ted,” she promised him. “And if this really were Sixteen Candles, and I were Molly Ringwald, you would be... the guy that plays Jake, okay?” she floundered, unable to be IMDb at such a moment.

Alex just stared at her for a long time, and then as his eyes drifted past her nervous but smiling face, he realised something horrifying.

“You do know the whole room is staring at us, right?” he checked.

With wide eyes, Martha glanced left and right, feeling her cheeks burn. Her hand went around Alex’s without a moment’s pause and she hurried for the door, urging him to follow, whilst applause rang out from the table full of their family and friends, and from a few other corners of the cafeteria too.

“I’ll give them ten minutes, then I’ll take Martha’s bag to her,” said Tori. “But damn it is about time those two figured things out!”

“Agreed.” Billy nodded. 

“Is lunch with you guys always this entertaining?” asked Tara curiously.

Nobody really seemed to hear her question, only Kwan, who just shrugged and carried on chewing.

* * *

“I can’t believe it!” said Rory, clearly in shock as Lorelai imparted all the news to her and Jess. “We went away for less than three days. You just told me enough stuff to fill a book!”

“A frickin’ Tolkien novel.” Jess nodded in agrement. “Geez, I think this proves that we are never allowed to go out of town for the weekend ever again.”

“Aaw, don’t say that,” said Lorelai sadly. “I’m so sorry to throw all of this at you guys the second you get home, but I really, really didn’t want you hearing this stuff from anybody else. Just as soon as I knew you’d be getting home I came over just to make sure you got everything from the horse’s mouth.”

She had sat them down on the couch and literally told them everything, meaning what she said about the couple getting the facts and not whatever gossip was floating around town. Neighbours and friends were well meaning enough, but things had a tendency to get blown out of all proportion amongst the Stars Hollow townsfolk. Lorelai started with Luke’s accident as it was the biggest deal, and then filled Rory and Jess in on the situation with Billy’s new relationship, and how the kids got along without their parents this weekend. She had yet to broach the subject of Doula and her new friend Mary Jane, and wasn’t really sure how to do so. Maybe now wasn’t quite the right time.

“So, Luke is going to be okay?” asked Rory, her expression full of worry.

“Luke’s gonna be fine, hon. I swear,” Lorelai promised her, holding onto her hands. “I mean, it’s not a great thing that his leg is broken, but it could’ve been so much worse. He had me scared for a while there, but everything is going to be fine.”

“Excuse me for being the practical one, but what’s happening with the diner?” asked Jess, not wanting to come off heartless but needing to think of the business too - he had a feeling Luke would approve.

“Diner’s fine,” said Lorelai definitely. “The kids all pitched in yesterday, and Caeser’s been a trooper. Today, we’ve got Lane taking point with the wait staff and Brian’s helping out between viewing appointments. Everybody has just been great. Of course we had to talk T.J. out of lending a hand.”

A look passed between the three, proving they all agreed that was a very good thing indeed. The guy meant well but he almost always caused way more problems than he solved!

“I’ll bet Liz is having a field day with the stress of seeing this thing happen.” Jess rolled his eyes. “Every drama has to be about her.”

Lorelai opened her mouth to say something but closed it again fast. If she told them about Doula now, on top of everything else, well, it didn’t seem to fair to dump one more issue onto them when they just got home. Besides, nobody really knew about that situation yet, only Liz, Luke, and Lorelai herself, so hopefully it could be dealt with later and may even yet all come to nothing.

“I should get over there,” said Jess, speaking of the diner.

“We just got back,” replied Rory, reaching for him, but her husband was already standing and pulling his jacket back on.

“Sorry, Ror, but it’s back to reality for now,” he told her, leaning over the couch to kiss her lips. “I’ll see you later.”

He was gone in a minute and Rory let out a huge sigh. “Yeah, back to reality.”

“I’m sorry, babe,” said Lorelai, patting her daughter’s knee. “Kind of a lot of drama to come home to, but hey, we’ve got a few minutes here, how about you tell me good news. Momma could sure use it! Tell me all about your dirty weekend in Philly!”

“Mom!” Rory complained, laughing and blushing at the same time. “We went there for Jess to see Matt and Chris, and attend the event at Truncheon,” she insisted.

“You spent the whole time at the publishing house with Matt and Chris?” said Lorelai, with a look that proved she knew that was crap.

“Well, no..."


	20. Chapter 20

Life fell into a new rhythm. It took a few days to get things worked out, but now there was a plan, a schedule, and though things weren’t exactly normal for the time being, they were better. Tori was glad to have her parents home. For all the teens she knew that would be only too happy to have their folks leave them alone, that had never been true of Victoria Mariano. Call her crazy, but she actually loved her mom and dad and enjoyed spending time with them. It was very weird having them be gone, even for three days, and especially uncool not to have them around when drama was breaking out at every turn.

“Grandpa Luke’s doing better. He still has the broken leg, obviously, but the rest of him is fine. Certainly his yelling voice is in full working order and getting plenty of use,” Tori explained with a smile, as she rearranged the flowers she had laid down on the grave a little bit. “He can be in the diner if he wants to be, but there is no way he can actually work for as long as he’s rolling everywhere. Dad is keeping order as much as he can, and Mom and Aunt Lane will pitch in as needed whenever they can. We’re all rostered on for shifts on weekends and after school, schoolwork permitting. Nobody, but nobody, is allowed to make the diner an excuse to slack off on the studies,” she said, rolling her eyes. “But everybody is all set to do their share, and it’ll be fine. It’s just for a few weeks until Grandpa Luke’s leg heals.”

Tori sighed and blew loose strands of hair off her face. She had other things to say though she didn’t know where to start, even when talking to Mrs R who couldn’t answer and wouldn’t judge even if she were here.

“So, Billy’s girlfriend, Tara, she seems cool, and Martha has her first official date with Alex tomorrow night. Jack seems happy with Alison Forester, and I’d love to be happy for him, I just... I don’t know. I guess you can see all what’s going on from up there, so if this girl is trying to mess with my brother, could you maybe clue him in somehow? Send a sign? Ask the man in charge up there to do something so Jack doesn’t end up hurt?” she said hopefully. “And maybe while he’s doing that he could keep an eye on Doula? I seriously don’t know where her head is lately... or her body. She hasn’t been around much. There’s this guy, his name is Tommy, but I get this feeling there’s more to it than that. I mean, you know as well as I do, this is what Doula does sometimes, but... I don’t know, I just have a bad feeling about the whole situation.”

Checking her watch, Tori knew she would have to go soon. She was expected at the inn before long. Despite it being all hands to the pumps when it came to the diner, Grandma Lorelai and Aunt Sookie still needed help at the inn, perhaps more now than ever given all the stress that Grandma Lorelai was under in helping Grandpa Luke with his injuries.

“So, I should go,” said Tori then. “I... Okay, so I do have one more thing to tell you about, or maybe that should be one more person. His name is Darryl, but he likes to be called Dax,” she told Mrs Rossini’s headstone with a grin she couldn’t help. “Aunt Lane is teaching him to play drums, and he’s getting pretty good. The point is I think he likes me, and I like him, and I know I’m only fourteen and it’s highly unlikely that he’s the love of my life or anything, but I feel like... I don’t even know what I feel like, and that is so weird for me. Mrs R, it’s the weirdest thing. I never thought I’d be the girl to fall for a guy like this, to feel so overwhelmed when he so much as looks at me, but I don’t hate it,” she admitted, even as she covered her reddening face with her hands. “If you were here, I think you’d be telling me to go for it. Y'know, just grab at what life gives you because you never know how long you have that time or that person for?” she said, pretty sure in her words.

Mrs Rossini had been married so briefly to a man who she loved and adored. She never really had moved on from Genaro, and claimed she would never have wanted to. He was her one true love and she could not imagine having another. As Tori said, she wasn’t so sure Dax was her one and only, the Prince Charming that was supposed to sweep her off her feet and be with her forever, but she did like him and he liked her. It seemed dumb to pass up the chance to see what could happen with them.

“Thanks, Mrs R,” she said, scrambling to her feet. “As always, talking it through with you has helped.”

Kissing her hand and placing it on the headstone, Tori headed towards the bus stop. She had her cell in her hand before she ever reached the bench and began texting the moment her butt hit the seat.

‘Hey, Dax. Sorry I haven’t text sooner. This week has been a little crazy,’ she wrote, wondering if he would answer quickly or even not at all - it had been Sunday when they last talked and four days was a little longer than she had intended to leave him alone.

‘That’s cool. Good to know you didn’t forget about me ;)’

Tori grinned as she read the reply that came almost instantaneously. A second message joined it within a second or two.

‘How’s your grandfather?’

‘He’s okay, thanks for asking. Broken leg takes a while to heal, but he’s coping. The whole family is pitching in to help.’

‘I guess that means you’re not free to meet up anytime soon? :(’

That much was probably true, Tori thought, though she really wished it wasn’t. The bus pulled up at the stop whilst she was considering her answer and she stopped he conversation whilst she got aboard and paid her fare. Taking a seat on the bus, Tori’s thumbs moved across the keys of her cell once again.

‘There’s a chance I’ll be in Hartford sometime this weekend. Mom is talking about driving in to visit an old friend so I could maybe catch a ride, if you’re around?’

‘I’m around,’ said Dax in his quick reply. ‘Saturday or Sunday?’

‘Not sure yet. I’ll let you know when I know.’

‘Okay. My folks will be here but they shouldn’t bother us. We all kind of do our own things.’

Tori wasn’t aware that her sigh was of relief until it was out there and she gave it proper thought. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Dax or anything, but being alone in a house with him so wasn’t going to fly with her mom, and moreover with her dad. It didn’t really sit right with Tori ether, only because it suggested she was headed over to his house for way more than she intended.

‘I’ll get back to you when I know for sure,’ she said in her next text. ‘Gotta go now.’

When she arrived at the Dragonfly, Tori was still smiling widely.

“Hey, I know that look,” said Lorelai, grinning herself at the sight of her granddaughter. “Only a special boy caused that expression.”

“Maybe,” said Tori, feeling her face heat up. “I was texting with Dax on the bus, about maybe seeing him this weekend”

“Right, your mom mentioned heading into Hartford. I wondered if you’d be tagging along to meet up with Ringo.”

Tori laughed at the nickname. “I will if I can,” she admitted. “Mom will probably be okay with it, but Dad...?”

“Hey, your father is just protective,” said Lorelai, putting her arm around Tori’s shoulders as they walked. “He remembers the kind of teenage boy he was and it scares the crap out of him to think of a guy like that around a girl like you.”

“Dad wasn’t so bad, was he?” 

Lorelai opened her mouth and then closed it again fast. The run ins she and Jess had in the beginning, just thinking of them now through the strange mists of time felt weird to say the least. At one time, yes, she had thought Jess really was that bad, but he had proven her wrong in the end.

“All teen boys are troublesome in their own ways,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “And every parent worries about their kids, male or female, regardless of age. I still worry for your mom sometimes, and even though she has a weird way of showing it, Emily still worries about me. Now, time for some work, yes?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Tori mock-saluted and removed her jacket.

Still her smile remained as she thought about the upcoming weekend and a possible trip to see Dax. She was really looking forward to it already.

* * *

It wasn’t supposed to become a habit, but somehow in side of ten days, it had. Doula wasn’t sure if she was thinking of hanging out with Tommy most of the time or smoking the stuff he seemed happy to supply her with. Maybe both. Everything was a little blurry right now, with the joint between the fingers of her left hand and those of her right tangled in Tommy’s hair as he planted kisses on her neck. They were laid out on the porch swing out back of her house. The parentals were wherever and the world was a pleasant mess of nothing much.

Unfortunately, sobriety came extremely quickly when one of her ‘boyfriend’s roving hands moved past her knee and up under the hem of her skirt.

“Tommy, don’t!” she complained, pushing him away and drawing her legs up into her body.

“What?” he asked, as if he didn’t know.

“Just stop, okay?” she told him firmly, taking another drag from the roll-up.

Tommy did not look amused. “Y’know this whole terrified virgin act is getting a little old, Doula,” he told her, shifting closer to her again, his hand landed on her knee but the moment it slid a little higher, Doula slapped it hard. “Geez. What the hell?”

“I said no!” she snapped, moving to get up.

Tommy grabbed her arm and pulled her back, picking the cigarette from her fingers with his free hand. “Maybe I need to start sayin’ no too,” he said smartly.

“What are you doing?”

“Hey, you think I’m hanging around you for the scintillating conversation? You think the free samples are out of the goodness of my heart?” he asked sarcasm in full effect as he put out the joint and dropped it into his pocket.

Doula was not impressed. She needed what he gave her right now, the calmness it brought. She hadn’t expected to be jonesing for it after the first couple of times but she did. Making out with Tommy didn’t hurt either, but she wasn’t quite willing to go so far so fast. Maybe she could convince him that she was going far enough to at least get the rest of her joint back.

“Tommy, c’mon,” she urged him, turning on the charm just a little. “I thought we were... friends?” she tried, kissing his cheek.

The smile was back on his face in a second as he pulled her into his lap and thoroughly assaulted her senses. Doula wriggled uncomfortably when he kept her locked in his arms a little too tightly. He kissed her hard and long, then moved to whisper in her ear.

“C’mon, Doula. Word is you know how it goes. Around Stars Hollow High, you’re pretty much a legend,” he said, hand sliding north of her knee one more time. “So, how about a little payback for all the free gifts?”

“I said no!” Doula yelled, pushing him away with all her might but not really getting anywhere. “Tommy, stop!” she all but screamed, hitting him hard and right where she knew it would hurt most.

Tommy groaned and grabbed at himself as Doula made her escape. She ran for the gate but her so-called boyfriend came in hot pursuit, even though he was staggering some. She screamed in frustration when the latch wouldn’t open on the first attempt and Tommy came up behind her. They crashed through the gate together, catching the attention of a passer-by. Thankfully this was no stranger that would ignore a damsel in distress.

“Doula?” Davey called, rushing towards the house.

Tommy barely had a chance to make a grab at ‘his girl’ when Davey ran over, grabbing the other guy and throwing him aside as if he were nothing more than a football. Tommy went flying, got back up and thought about starting a real fight, until he took in the size and stature of his opponent. Davey was built like a line-backer, because that was exactly what he was.

“You’re not worth it!” he told Doula nastily. “Frigid bitch!”

He walked (or actually kind of staggered) away from the scene. Davey thought about going after him, but Doula’s crying was a higher priority. Turning to her, he hesitated a little about reaching out to hug her. She looked so small suddenly, and altogether devastated.

“Doula... Are you okay?” he asked, knowing it was the dumbest question but unsure what else to say.

“No,” she said. “I’m... No, you’re not... Why’d it have to be you?!” she yelled, and Davey honestly wasn’t sure if she meant him or Tommy as she went into some kind of hysterical fit, mascara streaming down her face and arms waving like a crazy windmill. “It wasn’t supposed to be him or you! I wanted... I just wanted him to... I hate this!” she yelled at last, running as fast as her legs would carry her.

“Doula!” Davey called after her. “Damn it!” 

She was probably only going to react in a worse way if he went pelting after her, so giving chase would do no good. Honestly, even if he could catch up to her, Davey just wouldn’t know what to say. This was a job for a woman, or a parent, or somebody who just wasn’t him. Davey got out his cell and dialled the one person he could always rely on in a crisis.

“Hey, Mom. Um, something bad just happened. No, I’m fine. It’s Doula. I kind of don’t know what to do next...”

* * *

“Oh God. Poor Doula!” said Lorelai, reacting with alarm to what Sookie was telling her “Where is she now?” she asked, already grabbing her purse and keys to go looking.

“I don’t know, sweetie. I wish I did,” said Sookie sadly. “Davey got the bad guy away from her, but Doula just bolted. He didn’t know what to do so he called me, and I didn’t know what to do except tell you. I mean, Liz and T.J., they’re nice enough, but...”

“But we’ve all been filling in parental duty for as long as I can remember, and not only with Doula,” said Lorelai, knowing how her friend's sentence had to end. “Um, I can’t bring this to Luke, not now. We never even got around to telling Jess about the pot smoking, with everything else that was going on. Now with the bad boyfriend and everything, I don’t even want to think about where to start.”

“But big brother is the only one Doula really listens to, right?" said Sookie, wincing even as she said it - she knew how tough this was going to be.

“Yup,” Lorelai popped the p and nodded once. “Oh, this is a conversation I so don’t want to have, but the only other choice is going through Rory or Luke and I can’t do that to either of them,” she said with a groan, putting her hand to her forehead. “Okay, Jess takes a break around six thirty so he’s back on duty when the evening rush hits,” she said, checking the clock on the kitchen wall. “It’s now or never.”

“Good luck, hon!” Sookie called behind Lorelai as she left the inn. “Please, please let it all be okay,” she said, eyes Heavenward a moment before she made herself get back to work.


	21. Chapter 21

“Lorelai, what is going on?” asked Jess for maybe the fourth time in as many minutes. “You come in here, desperate to talk to me. You rush me up the stairs, not even stopping for coffee, which is a pretty scary revelation. We’re established nothing is wrong with Luke or Rory, so what the hell has you so rattled?”

She took another deep breath and let it out. Lorelai knew she just had to say it, all of it, like ripping off a couple of band aids quickly and simultaneously. As much as she and Jess had gotten to be friends over the years, this was such an awful topic to have to broach, she really didn’t know how he would react.

“Okay,” she said at last, hands flat on the table, eyes coming up to meet Jess’ own. “When you were away, we found out that there was a possibility that maybe Doula had... well, that she had made a new friend, named Mary Jane.”

She said it with a significant look that Jess couldn’t misinterpret. His eyes went a little wider as his fist slammed against the table.

“I’m going to kill her!” he said as he moved to get up.

Lorelai’s hand on his arm stopped him.

“Jess, no. There’s more to it, and you know you’re not going to kill your sister.”

“I wasn’t talking about Doula,” he said angrily. “I meant Liz. This is her fault!”

“I don’t think it necessarily is, but that’s not the point right now,” Lorelai tried to explain, still with a grip on her son-in-law’s arm. “Jess, there’s also a guy, quite possibly the prince that Doula was getting the pot from. He’s not been treating her too well. Davey came across them fighting. I don’t know exactly what happened but it didn’t sound good.”

Lorelai watched ten different emotions play across Jess’ face in a matter of seconds. He was still mad at Liz, maybe at Doula too, not to mention the mystery guy that had potentially done his little sister harm. At the same time he felt hurt, betrayed, sad, confused. Lorelai understood all of it, and she hated that she caused this by coming here and imparting this news, but what choice did she have?

“Where is she?” asked Jess after a minute or two of painful silence.

“I don’t know,” Lorelai admitted, shaking her head sadly. “She ran after Davey saw off the dealer guy. We figured if anybody could find her, talk to her, actally get her to listen,” she said, watching Jess get up from his seat and pace some, “it’s got to be you, right?”

Jess was only half listening. His mind was racing a mile a minute as his hand ran over his face and his feet moved back and forth across the floor without him hardly being aware of it. His little sister, she was a wild child from the get go, but Jess had always vowed to do what his parents never did for him. Liz and T.J. were okay, but they didn’t know how to raise a kid. Jess had learnt along the way with his own children and deliberately had a hand in Doula’s upbringing to ensure she didn’t end up like him as a teen, or worse. Apparently he hadn’t done as good of a job as he meant to.

“Jess?” Lorelai’s voice sounded too far away at first as he let his brain reel with thoughts. “What can I do to help? I’ll do it, you know I will,” she promised as she got to her feet.

“Er, cover for me a while?” he suggested, speaking of the diner it seemed. “I have to go find my little sister.”

Lorelai nodded her ascent but didn’t say a word. She got no further explanation from Jess either as he grabbed his jacket and all but ran out of the door. Honestly, Lorelai was glad to have done her part, to have passed the baton to someone more qualified to deal than she was. Her kids she could handle, even her grandkids, but Doula only ever really paid any mind to one person, and that was her big brother. It was strange how history had a habit of repeating itself. Jess was more than a little like Luke, especially as he got older, and certainly Doula seemed to be turning out disturbingly like Liz as time went on. Lorelai only hoped she was smart enough not to let her life get completely ruined and at so young an age, or at the very least, that Jess was able to fix things in a way Luke had never quite managed with Liz so many years before.

* * *

When Davey came in the front door, he was still feeling a little shaken up. Seeing Doula so upset was awful, especially when there was really nothing much he could do to help. Getting rid of that deviant Tommy was all good, he supposed, and letting his mom and Lorelai know what was going on, but it didn’t seem like enough.

Poor Doula. She was so confident, so indestructible, with her good looks and her tough talk. It was terrible to see her looking so weak, being so put upon by a scummy guy like that. Davey supposed that for all they were like family, some blood-related and some not, Doula didn’t really have anyone much to turn to most of the time. Jess was so much older, it was more like having an extra father or an uncle than a brother, and her actual parents were pretty useless, everybody knew that.

“Hey,” said Martha from her place on the couch. “Are you okay?” she asked, craning her neck to better see her stoic older brother.

“You look weird,” added Jaime from the other end of the seat, actually taking her eyes of her sketchbook for more than a beat when she realised just how odd her brother really did seem right now.

Davey just stood there a moment more, staring at his two sisters. He shook his head and then walked forward, reaching an arm towards each of them, hugging both Martha and Jaime awkwardly over the back of the couch.

“Okay then,” said the older of the two, extending the first word to twice its usual length. “Um, Davey?”

“You guys know... I mean, you know I love you, right?” he asked them both when he finally let them go.

“Sure,” Jaime promised, feeling as weird about this as her brother looked and yet speaking honestly. “We love you too, always.”

“Of course,” Martha agreed easily. “But what the heck happened to you today?”

Something was wrong here. It wasn’t that she ever doubted Davey cared for them and never wanted him to think they didn't care for him. All three siblings loved each other implicitly, even when they were driving each other crazy, but the fact remained that they didn’t go around saying it every five minutes, because ultimately they were teenagers and that just wasn’t the way of young people as a rule. Besides, the love was a given, it didn’t need to be expressed constantly.

“That’s not important,” he told them, literally waving it away, mostly because he wasn’t sure Doula’s issues were something he should share right now. “I just... If either of you were in trouble, you’d tell me right?”

“What kind of trouble?” asked Jaime curiously.

“Any kind,” said Davey. “Guys, alcohol, drugs.”

“C’mon, Davey.” Martha rolled her eyes. “You should know we’re both a little smarter than that,” she told him, “but theoretically, yeah, of course,” she promised, since he looked very serious still.

“Yeah, I mean, who better to go to than big brother?” Jaime smiled.

Davey still didn’t look happy, but he nodded as if pleased with their answers.

“That’s all I needed to hear,” he told them, before turning and heading upstairs without another word.

Martha and Jaime shared a confused look, then at the same time shook their heads and went back to the TV and artwork respectively. Sometimes their brother was just weird.

* * *

“Figured I’d find you here.”

Doula almost managed a smile when she heard his voice, though she never did look at him. Her eyes remained focused on the view in the distance, even as Jess struggled to climb up amongst the tree branches and join her in their usual spot. It ought to be impressive that he could still make it at his age, but Doula was lacking the sense of humour to make that comment right now.

“I’m gettin’ too old for this crap, D,” he told her, watching a small smile curve her lips. 

“And yet,” she said, then nothing more.

Jess huffed out a sigh and waited. Doula would only ever be here in a crisis, the one place Jess would think to look and no-one else would. It was their spot, a place they found together, a ways away from the Dragonfly that didn't seem to belong to the inn or to anyone, though Jess always supposed it must do. The first time they climbed this tree together he had been teaching her how like any big brother should. She was all of six years old then. Now, almost ten years later, her tear-stained face could break him just as easy as ever, but they had to get this figured out.

“Are we going to sit here all day or are you going to tell me what’s goin’ on?”

“I’m guessing somebody already told” said Doula, voice cracking and still she wouldn't look at him.

“Not everything, just the cliff notes,” Jess told her, bumping her shoulder gently with his own, “and you know me, I like the whole story.”

The sudden break and flood of tears didn't really come as a surprise. Anybody else might be shocked to see Doula cry, but not Jess. He was ready for this when he came here and silently wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight whilst she got it all out of her system. Between sobs she explained what had happened, about Tommy and the pot, about how it had started as a ruse to get Kwan's attention, and morphed into a way to feel better. The facts were plain, but all the reasons why and the emotions attached were much more muddled. It didn't seem as if even Doula truly understood herself.

“I’m sorry, Jess,” she said eventually, tears subsiding, voice strained from all the crying. “I don’t know what’s happening to me”

“You got to make smarter choices, D” Jess sighed, pushing her away just enough to meet her eyes. “I know things get tough sometimes, believe me, I do know, but I want better for you than this crap” he reminded her. “Guys that don’t treat you right and smoking the garbage that caused Liz so much trouble?”

“I know, I know,” she said, shaking her head and scrubbing at her damp cheeks. “I said I’m sorry.”

“But are you?” Jess checked. “Words are great, D, but you got to mean this. I have your back, I always do, but I can’t live your life for you.”

She knew he was right and that he meant every word he said. Jess never lied to her, not once, and he never let her down. Her big brother could be relied upon in ways that her parents or even her friends never completely could, he made her a promise and he kept it. Doula wished she could say she returned the favour, but that would be a lie. It was tough sometimes, trying to portray an 'awesome' persona all of the time. It was exhausting.

“I just... Sometimes I feel like everybody has this perfect life, you know?” she tried to explain, arms hugging herself as the cold breeze grew a little stronger. “They have people who love them and they know what they want to do with their lives. Everybody has a direction, a plan, and... Sometimes I just feel like I’m floating around on the edge of everybody else’s lives, like I don’t really have anything real of my own”

Jess wanted to tell her that was crazy talk. He was pretty sure if Doula said this to Liz, T.J., even someone with some sense like Luke, Lorelai, or Rory they would've told her exactly that. Jess couldn't blame them. It was easy for them to see all things in Stars Hollow as rosy and near-perfect. As much as Jess loved the life he had built here, he knew Doula's pain because it used to be his own. It was tough when you didn't feel like you fit anywhere. She had no siblings with her in school, and though there were relations and friends aplenty in the hybrid-extended family, none were in her grade. She was separated in a lot of ways, out on her own, and doing her best to be okay with it but, but sometimes it was hard to keep on acting like you didn't care, when deep down inside all you wanted was to be loved.

“Okay,” he said eventually. “First off, you always have me, and Rory, Jack, Tori, Lorelai and Luke, so many people,” he reminded her, whether it did any good or not. “Second, you’re smart, Doula, smarter than you give yourself credit for. You can do whatever you want to do, and it’s okay if you don’t know what that is yet, but don’t waste time on stupid stuff like bad guys and joints. It won’t help.”

He spoke from experience in a lot of ways and Doula knew it. Jess never hid anything from her. He told her exactly how things had been for him as a teen, the problems he had, the scrapes he got into. Liz hadn't helped, but he screwed up a whole lot for himself too. He was honest about it, for the most part to ensure Doula didn't fall down the same holes herself. Jess always cared, always tried for her. It made Doula feel worse for not being better, and at the same time, better for not being worse.

“I thought you’d be more mad at me,” she admitted with a hint of a smile.

“I was,” he smirked some, unable to help it. “Honestly? I still am. Mostly I’m mad at Liz and T.J. for not taking better care, and... and I’m mad at me for not noticing things had got this bad,” he admitted, pushing his hand back through his hair. “I'm an idiot”

“No,” she told him, shaking her head. “I’m not a kid anymore, big bro. I guess it’s time to step up, take responsibility for my own stuff, right?”

“I guess so,” Jess agreed, finding a genuine smile for her as she sat up a little straighter, looked a little stronger, “but I’m always here, D,” he promised, pushing strands of hair back over her ear. “You get into trouble, you need someone to talk to, you know I am always, always here, right?”

“Yeah,” she promised, meeting his eyes. “Thanks, Jess. I mean that” she swore, throwing her arms around him to hug him tight.

“You’re welcome, sis,” he told her, hugging back and kissing the top of her head. “Now, think we can get out of this damn tree?”

In that moment, her laughter was the happiest sound he had ever heard. It wasn't going to be easy, but in the end, she was going to be just fine.


	22. Chapter 22

“I’m just glad you could talk some sense into her, and that you and your mom actually had a conversation without tearing the house apart.”

Rory meant every word she said and without exaggeration. She had known Jess and Liz to have some almighty fights over the years, and heard tell of more from before she ever knew them herself. When it came to Doula, Liz and TJ were not all they could be as parents, that was for sure. Jess was fiercely protective of his little sister, trying to ensure at all costs that she turned out better and happier in her childhood and teen years than he had. Rory understood it, but she was never entirely comfortable when her husband was forced to weigh into Doula’s issues with her parents. Jess and Liz were practically a lethal combination when they got mad at each other, and the past got dragged up one more time.

“Me and Liz were never great at communicating,” he admitted, one hand rubbing his forehead, “but for Doula, I make extra effort. We got to her soon enough, I think. She knows how bad that stuff can get, she’s not stupid,” he said, watching Rory as she finished up tidying the kitchen and then crossed to the counter he was leaning on and went into his arms.

“You dance with Mary Jane you get your toes stepped on,” she said sadly.

“Yeah, well, D pretty much got her whole feet trampled, and not just from the smoking. That guy who was dealing to her, he’s some piece of work,” he said, jaw tightening with anger even now as he spoke of Tommy. “If I had my way...”

“I know,” Rory sympathised, feeling his body tense, hands balling into fists behind her back, “but Jess, he’s just a kid. I heard the speech about the knee-caps and. believe me, I’d like to take a swing at him myself for what he put Doula through, but we have to be better than that,” she reminded him, just as she had to yesterday and the day before, until this whole thing got to a point where it was more or less resolved. “The cops will deal and the kids are all going to stay a good long way away from him. It’s over now.”

Her hands were at his head, making him look at her and believe what she said. This was tough on him, and Rory knew it. In their bed at night he confessed how much of a failure he felt sometimes, mostly with Doula. Their own kids were turning out okay, better than okay most of the time, but Jess had made a vow to be the surrogate parent for his half-sister, and every once a while she managed to make him feel like he had screwed up royally.

“Coulda happened to me, y’know?” he said, finally giving in and meeting Rory’s sympathetic, loving gaze. “The way Liz was, the company I kept when I was that age. It could’ve happened to me just the same.”

“Maybe,” his wife considered, “but it didn’t.”

“Because of Luke.” Jess smiled. “More than that, because of you.”

He pulled her in closer and she happily kissed him. Moments like this felt good because they always had, but it wasn’t just about physical contact. It was drawing strength from each other in any way possibly, as Rory and Jess had for more years than they could count now. Every day each of them was grateful for the life they had together. It had started out rocky and hard, but neither of them would want to have ended up anywhere but here.

A few minutes later, they stood there still wrapped in each other’s arms, foreheads pressed together, as Jess sighed.

“So, you got plans today?”

“I do, in fact.” Rory smiled, glad of the subject change if she were honest. “I am going over to Hartford to catch up with Louise. Y’know the girl from Chilton that I told you about?”

“One of Paris’ bitch squad, right?”

“If you really want to call it that, sure. If Paris was Regina George, then Louise would've been Gretchen Wieners.”

Rory smiled, sparing Jess one last kiss, before pulling out of his arms. She went through to the living room, grabbing her purse from the chair and apparently checking it contained everything she needed. Jess followed, feeling like he was missing something. When Rory spoke again, he knew he was right.

“Um, I’m taking Tori along. To Hartford.”

Jess frowned. “To meet Gretchen Wieners?” he checked. “Ror?” he prompted, a hand on her arm to get her attention when she seemed reluctant to take her head out of her bag.

“She wants me to drop her off at a friend’s house,” admitted Rory.

She barely met Jess’ eyes, but she still saw him wince.

“Male or female?” he asked suspiciously.

The gig was up.

“Jess, you know she likes this Dax guy.”

“I know I don’t like this Dax guy.”

“That’s unfair. You never even met him.”

“I never met Satan, but I’m pretty sure I don’t like him either.”

Jess flopped down onto the couch and ran his hands over his face. He knew he was being unreasonable without seeing the look on Rory’s face that proved it, but right now was not a good time for him to be considering his daughter and dating in the same sentence. As if he hadn’t already had enough trouble with Doula this past week!

“Dax is not the devil.”

“No, he’s a teenage boy who has an interest in my daughter.”

“Our daughter,” Rory corrected immediately, moving to join Jess on the couch, “and half the reason I’m even taking Tori over there myself is so I can meet him and his parents, who will be very much present throughout the visit,” she explained, tugging on his hand until Jess looked at her. “C’mon, you trust your wife, don’t you?” she said with a smirk she learned from him.

“Naturally,” he agreed, though it was tougher for him to find a real smile himself.

Rory kissed his lips, which helped at least a little. “So, we’re cool?”

“Frank at the Sands.”

The comment from so long ago made her giggle, and her laughter really did make him smile as he stole another kiss. Maybe Jess should just learn to trust in what he had always known to be true, anything was possible when Rory was by his side, and nothing was too tough to survive for as long as they were together.

* * *

“I’m still amazed Dad didn’t flip out,” said Tori from beside her mother in the car. “Did you not tell him where I was going?”

“I told him,” Rory assured her with a smile, though her eyes were on the rear-view right now before making her turn. “Your dad trusts you, Tori, he’s just... protective. And I know different people are involved, but I don’t think what happened with Doula a couple of days ago is really helping.”

“Dax is nothing like Tommy, thank God,” said Tori dramatically, thumbing the buttons on her cell as she talked. “Trust me, if I thought for a second that he was into drugs, or thought he was getting anywhere fast with me, I would be running so fast in the opposite direction.”

“And that is what a mother, and a father, wants to hear,” said Rory with a wide smile. “Now, as luck and weird coincidence would have it, my friend and your friend seem to be living in the same street,” she said then, halting a moment at a Stop sign. “I’m not sure which one comes first. What number is Dax’s house?” she checked with Tori.

“One-six-five,” she read from the screen of her cell, since it was the address she had been double-checking in the first place.

Rory frowned. “That’s weird. I thought Louise’s house was one-six-something too.”

Reaching into the back seat for her purse, Rory laid her hand on the piece of paper her grandma had given her and tossed it over to Tori to check, as she drove the car over the intersection and then turned into the correct street.

“This says one-six-five,” said Tori, shaking her head. “Wait a second, Louise Cooper? Your friend is Mrs Cooper?”

“Um, yeah.” Rory nodded. “I mean, she was Louise Grant when I knew her, but she got married again to Mr Cooper, making her Mrs Cooper,” she explained pointlessly.

Pulling the car up onto the drive of the over-sized house bearing the number 165, Rory shut off the engine and looked at the daughter. Tori had her mouth hanging open like she was catching flies, waving the piece of paper in Rory’s face.

“This is crazy!” she declared. “Dax’s real name is Darryl Cooper.”

Rory had thought two houses in the same street was a weird coincidence, but this really was an added layer of strange. It would seem that Louise was Dax’s step-mother. Rory did not know what to think.

“Okay,” she said at length. “Um, so, weirdness, but we’re here now and we just have to deal. I mean, it doesn’t really matter that my friend knows your friend, right?” she checked with Tori. “This doesn’t freak you out, does it?”

“I guess not,” Tori considered. “But you have to admit, it is the strangest coincidence.”

“Honey, I married my surrogate father’s nephew, and your brother is dating my ex-boyfriend’s daughter. Nothing surprises me anymore.”

The two got out of the car then and headed up to the front door. Rory rang the bell, feeling oddly nervous and Tori looked no less freaked standing beside her. A maid came to greet them, inviting Mrs Mariano in and saying she would go and let Mrs Cooper know she was there. Nobody mentioned Dax, but he must have heard the door and wondered if his guest had arrived as he very soon came pelting down the stairs and into the entranceway.

“Hey, Tori,” he greeted her with a grin.

“Hi” she replied with a more nervous smile. “Um, Mom, this is...”

“Darryl Cooper,” he introduced himself politely. “Pleasure to meet you, Mrs Mariano.”

“And you Dax” she replied, shaking his hand. “The cool folks do call you Dax, right?”

“Not in this house,” he muttered, just as Louise put in an appearance.

“Rory, darling!” she said too loudly as she hurried to greet her with a hug and air kisses.

She hadn’t changed much, and though Rory would like to say nature had been kind, she could see as soon as Louise got close that the surgeon was the kind one. It was unthinkable to her that Louise could really have needed operations on her face or her body before she was forty, but that was society women for you. Looks mattered just a little too much to some people.

“Oh my God, this cannot be... This is Rory 2.0, right?” she said then, eyes wide with wonder as she stared at Tori.

“Actually, Lorelai is my middle name,” the teen explained. “My first is Victoria.”

“Tori, this is my friend from Chilton, Louise Grant... er, Cooper, sorry,” said Rory, shaking her head.

“I still go by Grant professionally,” Louise told her, waving away her concerns. “Y’know for my cosmetics and fashion endorsements.”

“Of course.” Rory nodded like she had a clue. “Um, well, it seems we have the weirdest of coincidences on our hands. I came here to catch up with you and the kids had plans to hang out also.”

Louise narrowed her eyes at Dax and then looked back at Tori. A smile came to her lips and then she laughed.

“Oh yeah, I see it now. Rory and Dean 2.0” she said with a wink at Rory. “No, sorry, the husband is... Jack?”

“Jess,” Rory corrected. “Jack is actually my son’s name.”

“Right, yeah, the pregnancy scandal!” Louise suddenly exclaimed as her old friend’s face went red.

“Er, why don’t you kids go have fun or something?” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear in an old nervous habit that clearly hadn't been forgotten. “I’m sure you don’t want to listen to old ladies talking about old times.”

Tori nodded that she understood and reached up to kiss her mom’s cheek before leaving with Dax. He happily led her away from all the embarrassment and drama, not even asking why Tori’s brother was such a scandal. It was none of his business and didn’t bother Dax at all. He was happy enough to be alone with Tori, and set about giving her a tour of the house, or at least his favourite parts of it.

“I swear I never understand how people navigate houses this big without GPS,” she said as they turned another corner in what felt like a labyrinth of rooms. “If I don’t stick to the main areas, I still get lost at my grandparents’ house.”

“When you’re raised in it, it doesn’t seem weird.” Dax shrugged, opening a door and ushering Tori inside.

“Wow!” she gasped at the sight that met her eyes.

A huge piano sat in the centre, all black and gleaming. Tori went instinctively to sit on the stool and run her fingers across the keys. She had no idea how to play anything beyond Chopsticks and would embarrass herself by trying even that, but it was a beautiful instrument.

“Nobody really plays it anymore,” said Dax, coming to stand by her. “My mom did. It was bought for her, I think, or maybe she brought it with her when she married Dad. I forget now. I know they both wanted me to learn to play, so I did.”

“You can really play this thing?” Tori checked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“Really can.”

“That’s cool,” she told him, noting his look of disbelief right after. “I’m serious!” she insisted. “I don’t know anybody who knows how to play real piano. Peter, in the band, he plays keyboards. So can Uncle Brian, though he’s more comfortable on bass. Piano is way more professional,” she noted. “You have the whole pedals thing and... it’s just classier.”

“You think so?” asked Dax, moving to sit beside her, causing Tori to shift over on the stool a little so there was room - even so, they were pretty close.

“Sure,” she told him, nodding her head. “So what do you play? Is it all Brahms and Tchaikovsky, or are you about to kick this stool back and show off your Great Balls of Fire?” she asked, hating that she made herself blush without even meaning to, but unable to help it.

“Uh, mostly my teacher taught me classical,” Dax admitted, “but er...”

His voice trailed away, a strange smile on his lips as he seemed to think about how best to prove his metal on the piano. His fingers drifted over the keys a moment until he found his place, and then he began to play.

It took Tori just a few seconds to realise what it was he was playing, and then it clicked in her mind just as the lyrics should come in. She started singing without hardly even realising she was doing it, the opening verse to Aerosmith’s Dream On. There was no way for either of them to do any real justice to Steven Tyler’s original rendition, but it wasn’t bad, not at all.

“You have a great voice,” said Dax as he stopped playing.

“Thanks.” Tori smiled, wondering how many more shades of red she could possibly turn in this moment. “I’m not much of a singer, but I like doing it, just not so much in public. Y’know the last time I sang with piano accompaniment where anybody could hear me was when I was in third grade?” she said, looking anywhere but at Dax right now. “Miss Patty was putting on her usual pageant and there I stood in front of the whole town, in this crazy flower costume that Grandma Lorelai had made.”

“I’ll bet you were cute.”

“Oh yeah. The cutest Loneliest Little Petunia in an Onion Patch that Stars Hollow ever did see.”

Dax was smiling at her and Tori knew it, but she couldn’t really look at him right now. Her entire focus was on her own fingers moving over the top of the keys of the piano. She wondered why she had chosen to leave this blue nail polish on when she came here, that seemed to prove, despite her usual sense of maturity, she could be a kid still. Also, if she met the intense gaze of Dax’s eyes right now, Tori was pretty sure the world as she knew it would implode. A physical impossibility, yes, and yet it felt entirely likely in this moment.

“So,” she cleared her throat in order to speak, “you know how to do this, but you want to be a drummer?” she said, walking her fingers down the keys and playing a backwards scale.

“I do,” Dax confirmed, “and I know what you’re thinking, that I’m acting out to get attention, or whatever.”

“You think I would Psych 101 you like that?” asked Tori, one eyebrow raised as she dared to glance at him. “Is it true?”

“Maybe a little.” Dax smiled. “The truth is I wanted a drum kit from the age of five and my dad wasn’t budging. Mom always hoped I’d learn piano and Dad tried to pitch it like a substitute,” he said, hands landing effortlessly on the piano keys and playing a few random chords. “He said this was a real instrument and drums just made noise. Making a reasoned argument about all musicians needing rhythm fell on deaf eyes,” he said, finishing off whatever he had been playing with a flourish.

Tori smiled. “Well, I happen to think you rock both as a pianist and a drummer,” she said definitely, turning just when Dax did so they ended up nose to nose, with gazes firmly locked.

“Thanks,” he said too softly, eyes flitting to her lips.

Tori forgot how to breathe and then all at once remembered, all but throwing herself off the end of the piano stool. Honestly, she shocked herself by landing on her feet and not her butt.

“Uh, I need to...” she floundered a moment. “Point me to a bathroom please?”

Dax said nothing but literally gestured her to the door across the hall. The moment she was gone, closing the door behind her, he let his head fall onto the keys of the piano with a bump and a strangle of musical notes.

From the hallway, Tori heard the sound and winced. ‘I’m an idiot,’ she muttered heading on into the bathroom. Honestly, she didn’t really have to go, she just needed to get out of there. He was going to kiss her. There was absolutely no doubt at all in Tori’s mind that Dax had been about to lay his lips on hers, and as much as she really did kind of want that to happen, it freaked her out. All she could think to do was run.

Washing her hands, she stared at herself in the mirror.

“Get it together, Mariano,” she said sternly.

Unfortunately, complying with her own instructions probably wasn’t going to be that easy!


	23. Chapter 23

When Tori got back from the bathroom she found Dax just playing around on the piano. It was no tune that she recognised, but it definitely wasn’t anything classical. She didn’t like to ask what it was for fear he would stop - it really did sound beautiful. Thinking it was safer not to be sharing the very small piano stool anymore, Tori leaned on the piano itself, smiling at Dax so he would keep playing. She was soon humming along as the tune looped around through a kind of chorus. Tori hadn’t realised she was making up words until Dax was staring at her. Sometimes the singing happened without her meaning for it to.

“Where was that coming from?” asked Dax when he was done with his ‘song’.

“I don’t know.” Tori shrugged. “Where was the music coming from?”

“Just something I made up a while ago, or close to it anyway. When you learn to play like I did, you can just kind of pick out tunes and stuff, but it never had words before.”

Tori did her best not to blush... again!

“Sometimes tunes make words in my head, if I don’t know the real ones or its just instrumental,” she explained, wandering to the window and looking out. “Other times, words come to me on their own.”

“So, you’re a secret lyricist?”

“Not really.” Tori laughed at the idea, it sounded so stupid giving a real name to something she had always just done in her head without thinking. “I don’t think about them as lyrics. I guess it’s all just poetry or whatever.”

“It’s cool,” Dax told her.

Tori turned to look at him and her expression proved she wasn’t convinced. 

“Is it?” she checked. “I don't know, it’s just something that happens, and the weird part is, I never told anybody about it.”

At that, Dax’s eyes widened just a little. He got up and came over to the window, sitting down with Tori on the seat there.

“You have all these close family members and friends, and not one of them knows?”

“Nope,” she said, popping the P. “My mom is a journalist, my dad is an author, writing is kind of in my blood, I guess, but poetry...” she trailed off, shaking her head. “Dad isn't so much into that, and... It's weird, but I feel like he'd be disappointed if he knew that was what I liked to do with my talent, y'know?

“That's not so weird,” Dax assured her. “You remember what I said about my dad, right? I love to drum, but to him it's noise.”

Tori knew he understood and that was cool. In so very many ways Tori was like her father and in some ways like her mom. She and Jack had plenty in common too. As a family, they really didn’t have secrets and they all got along a large part of the time. Still, she felt strange telling anyone about her poetry, if it could even be called that. It was just about the only thing she ever kept to herself, and not just because she thought nobody else would get it, but more so because it was her thing, special and all her own, in a sea of things she shared with her over-sized family. It was nice to have just a little private piece of something for herself, and yet, she had chosen to share it with Dax. It hit her right between the eyes in that moment, and Tori realised that had to mean something.

“You okay?” asked Dax as he looked at Tori and found her staring intently at him with the oddest expression on her face.

She said nothing at first, just nodded, and then when she did find the words they were not at all what he was expecting.

“Before, at the piano,” she said in a voice too soft to be her own somehow, “were you going to kiss me?”

There was a long pause before he replied.

“I was thinking about it,” Dax admitted eventually, unsure whether she was likely to bolt or not after the last time, but knowing honesty was probably the best policy anyhow.

“Okay.” Tori nodded, though she felt as if she were shaking all over.

Honestly, she really wanted him to just do it already. Not to get it over with exactly, because that sounded bad, but just so she could stop wondering if and when, so she could at least know what the big deal was about this whole thing. She wasn’t expecting fireworks like the fourth of July or anything. Tori wasn’t so naive that she believed what movies told her about first kisses, or any kisses for that matter. All she knew was that she was okay with the fact that Dax was thinking about kissing her, and she kind of hoped it was going to happen soon before the anticipation caused her body to shut down altogether.

Before she had a chance to think about it anymore, it was happening. Dax’s lips covered hers and Tori felt her eyes fall shut. So this was what being kissed was like. There was no way she was regretting letting it happen. In fact, for the moment, she was quite happy with it continuing.

Tori hoped she was participating properly. Dax must have figured out that he was the first guy she had gotten this close to, especially given the big deal she had made about the kiss. Not that Tori could think altogether clearly right now, since she seemed to be forgetting that she had to breathe at some point. The gasping in of oxygen when they parted probably didn’t look or sound too attractive, but she knew she was already blushing so it hardly mattered. Tori was also pretty sure she was smiling, a look that was mirrored on Dax’s face as his hand slipped out of her hair and he met her now-open eyes.

“Your brother’s not going to kill me, right?” he checked, smile slipping a little.

Tori laughed, she couldn’t help it. It was probably the last thing she expected to hear after her first kiss, but she didn’t mind. It took the pressure off to see Dax looking so shaken for a change.

“No, Jack wouldn’t,” she promised, before considering things. “My dad might, but hey, maybe I just won’t tell him” she said, feeling a little bit brave off the back of his uncertainty.

This time she leaned in first and initiated another kiss, deciding this was not at all a bad way to spend an afternoon.

* * *

“So, this is a little weird,” said Martha, nervously tearing apart a paper napkin.

Sat across from her, Alex adjusted his shirt, fixed his hair, and checked his watch, all pointlessly. It was just nervous gestures that he couldn’t control, because Mar was totally right. This was actually more than a little weird. Being on a date with a person who had been nothing more than a friend for more years than either of them could count, it was entirely bizarre.

“Yeah, but you still wanna be here, right?” he checked, nervousness level rising exponentially when she didn’t answer immediately.

“Totally do,” she promised. “You too?”

“Oh yeah,” he agreed, nodding just the same.

They both smiled. Actually, they both laughed a little from the nerves and then tried to remember to breathe. Usually when Alex and Martha hung out, Jack was there too. He was the connection between them all of this time, though they did get along well enough without him. Lately, they certainly had no choice but to do without Jack, since he seemed to be joined at the hip to Alison Forester from almost the first moment they all went back to school after New Years. In the space of a month they seemed to have morphed into the new it couple, and though Martha and Alex ought to be more interested in each other than their friend’s new relationship, it was hard not to hear all the talk about ‘Jalison’.

“He’s taking her to some fancy restaurant that she’s just been dying to go to,” Martha told Alex, complete with eye roll. “I know he loves her or whatever, but...”

“But the dude is not Jack when he’s with Alison,” said Alex knowingly, glancing at Martha from over his menu. “I don’t even get what his deal is with her. Sure, she’s hot, but so are a lot of chicks.”

Martha shifted awkwardly in her seat and fixed her eyes on the food choices.

“It’s not all about being hot.”

Alex felt like a heel when he realised what had had implied. Even though this was a first date, a fact that him quaking in his boots five seconds before, talking to Martha about normal stuff like Jack's love life made him forget things were different now. Usually he would talk about 'hot chicks' in exactly that terminology and never think anything of it, even in front of Martha. Now it seemed he wasn't supposed to.

“Hey, Mar," he said, pulling her menu away so he could see her face again. "You know you’re beautiful, right? And not just to look at. I think you’re awesome, always have, always will. I don’t want you to look any different or be some other person, okay? Never.”

He made his declaration so definitely, Martha didn't doubt him. Though he could be an idiot sometimes, she never knew Alex to tell a lie, at least not to her or to Jack. He would hardly be here on a date with her if he didn't think she was something special. still, it was kind of hard to believe sometimes.

“At least I know you’re not gonna judge me if I order my weight in lasagne,” she said, knowing she was blushing and hoping to cover some of her embarrassment with a semi-joke.

“Mar, I’m gonna be ordering the same right alongside you," declared Alex with a grin as they put thir menus aside until the waitress got back to them. "Hey, can we make a deal for tonight?" he asked then. "No more talking about Jack and his love life, okay?”

“Amen to that," said Martha, picking up her water glass and clinking it against Alex's own. After taking a long drink she forced a deep breath through her lungs and pressed on. "So what do people talk about on dates?”

“I guess it depends on the people and on the date." Alex shrugged, deciding not to admit that his number of actual dates was much smaller than he would like. "I say we talk about whatever we want to talk about. I mean, sure, this is a date, but we’re still us, right?”

“Very true." Martha agreed. "Uh, do you have a plan for what movie we’re seeing tonight?”

“I figured lady’s choice was more polite.”

“Alex the Gentleman? This is a new side of you.”

Martha was smiling when she said it, proving she meant no harm. Alex would almost have rather she wasn't being cute. It was a little embarrassing receiving compliments from her that way, no matter how much he also liked it. This night would get comfortable eventually, he supposed, it just wasn’t quite yet.

“I can do gentlemanly," he said definitely. "I just... I never had a lady to do it for before, and now I do,” he said quickly and almost too quietly to be heard.

Martha didn't get a chance to reply as the waitress appeared to take their order. Knowing what she wanted already, Alex ordered for both of them, and Martha didn't mind at all. Sure, she still felt nervous and a little odd about being here on a date with Alex Tramos, but she also couldn't be happier that this was her life now.

* * *

“You have a very lovely home,” said Rory politely as she ate another dainty mouthful of food.

Tony Cooper thanked her very much and then continued to wax lyrical about the architecture, with his wife Louise throwing in a liberal amount of comments about how much everything was worth or cost. Rory kind of wished she was anywhere but here right now. She really didn’t mind catching up with Louise for a few hours but she had intended to be home again by now. Unfortunately, Tony had arrived home from the club and was just so friendly and generous about having Rory and her daughter stay to dinner. There was only so many times she could politely decline before she had to give in an accept, given that she really had no excuse to rush home.

“You could’ve used Grandpa Luke’s leg as an excuse, or said that Dad and Jack were waiting on us!” her daughter had told her when they got a moment alone.

“You know I don’t like to lie, Tori,” said Rory in an urgent whisper. “Besides, I thought you would want to stay as long as you could.”

Tori had blushed profusely at that and said nothing more. It was true that she did like hanging out here with Dax, but them being alone was preferable to sitting around a dinner table with his parents and her mother. He would not stop smiling at her, and Tori knew just exactly what he was thinking, which made her smile too but also want to crawl into a corner and hide so nobody else figured out they had spent a not-small part of the afternoon joined at the lips.

“So, you ladies know each other from your Chilton days,” said Tony, sipping his wine. “Victoria, are you attending your mother’s alma mater?”

“Er, no, Actually, I go to Stars Hollow High.”

“Oh. I assumed you and Darryl met in school.”

He looked confused and Tori felt sick. Her eyes went to Dax who cleared his throat loudly and shifted in his seat. As far as Tori or her mother could tell, it would seem as if Mr Cooper had no idea his son was getting drum lessons in the Hollow. Neither of them were willing to wade in on that particular family dispute, and yet somebody was going to have to say something.

“Son?” Tony prompted Dax.

“Yeah, Dad?”

“Where exactly did you meet the lovely Victoria?”

“Stars Hollow,” he confirmed, swallowing hard. “I have friends there, in a band.”

It was a half-truth at best, a lie by omission by any other name, but even Rory wasn’t going to contradict him right now. Later, she might have words with Tori about her choice of friends, or even speak to Dax if she could about telling lies and keeping things from his father, but now was not the time.

“His friends are my friends too,” said Tori quickly. “Actually, they’re kind of my cousins.”

Though the twins were not related to her by blood, Tori always thought of Steve and Kwan as cousins, especially since their parents had always been Aunt Lane and Uncle Zach to her. Of course by jumping onto what Dax said and elaborating she was probably making the lie worse. The look on her mom’s face certainly suggested she thought so.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Rory muttered whilst their hosts were distracted by a maid and talk of dessert.

Tori nodded her head, knowing she didn’t have a choice in the matter. So today wasn't ending all that well, but the rest of her time at Casa de Cooper had gone pretty good. More than good, if she were honest, and she could not regret coming here for a moment.


	24. Chapter 24

Jess let himself into The Crap Shack just as the TV remote went flying across the room. The back fell off when it hit the wall, batteries rolling in two different directions and disappearing from view. Jess let out a breath and closed the door behind himself.

“And a cheery good afternoon to you to, Uncle Lucas,” he said, smirk firmly planted on his lips as he walked up to the couch.

Luke had his face in his hands for a moment, then made a big deal of adjusting the cap he still insisted on wearing much of the time. It probably wasn’t fair of Jess to bait him right now, but in all honesty, he was aiming more for an amusing joke than anything else. Luke was suffering, and the pain in his leg was a minor part of the problem. The sitting around feeling useless was the larger issue, and Jess knew it.

“What tipped you over the edge?” he asked, coming to sit on the couch by his uncle’s wheelchair. “Another hour of the shopping channel or the women on The View talking sex toys again?”

“Neither. Both. Everything!” Luke exclaimed crossly. “I’m not this guy, Jess. I can’t just sit around all day, every day. It’s driving me crazy!” he explained, loudly and with full on windmill-type arm movements that his crazy wife would’ve been proud of.

Jess chose not to mention that. He could well understand how tough this was on Luke. The guy really was the action type, always busy, always doing something. If this had happened to him, Jess could’ve coped. As annoying as it would’ve been to be stuck home alone on the couch all day or whatever, some of his happiest hours were spent reading. Plus work for him, when not at the diner, only required the use of his two hands and a laptop or pen. For all the similarities they had, Luke and Jess would always be very different people.

“I’m sorry,” said Jess, shaking his head. “I know this is rough on you, but hey, it’ll be over soon. A few more weeks you’ll be able to get around. Couple of months and you’ll barely know this ever happened.”

“I hope you’re right.” Luke sighed. “And I’m sorry too. This is just as hard on you in some ways. I mean, coping with the diner alone, and the kids, and Doula,” he said sadly. “Hey, how is she doing now?”

“She didn’t come see you yet?” Jess checked.

“Not since the day I got home, and then only briefly, but it’s fine, she’s going through something. It’s tough on her.”

“She’ll live. Pretty sure she won’t be doing any kind of smoking anymore, and that so-called boyfriend of hers?”

“Oh, do not get me started on how I would like to make that little punk suffer.”

“I swear to God, Luke, if Rory hadn’t reminded me every ten minutes that I’d be arrested for assault and probably get my ass sued off by his parents, that kid would’ve been more than just pushed in a lake by now.”

The last comment caught Luke unawares. He knew why Jess had referred to being pushed into the lake. It came up every once in a while as a marker in the uncle-nephew relationship they had developed over the years. Certainly it was one in a series of turning points, perhaps the one where Luke realised he wasn’t as ready for ‘unclehood’ as he thought, and where Jess realised he couldn’t get away with just anything on Luke’s watch. Still, mentioning it now drew comparisons between Jess’ attitude and behaviour as a teen and that of this Tommy who had caused Doula so much trouble. Luke didn’t like that.

“Hey,” he said, getting Jess’ attention. “You were never like that. I mean, you were a little punk sometimes, I’m not denying that, but you... you were always... Jess, none of this is your fault or your influence. Doula is a better kid than she might have been without you.”

“Oh yeah?” Jess smirked at that, but it wasn’t his usual look, it was masking a pained smile. “I don’t know, Luke. Y’know the day we found out Liz was pregnant and wanted to stick around here was the day I vowed I was going to be there,” he said definitely. “I promised myself that no other kid of Lizzie’s was going to get screwed up the way... the way she screwed me up.”

“And you kept that promise,” Luke insisted, even as Jess scoffed at the words. “You did! You are. So Doula tried some pot, and yes, I know that’s bad, and she got mixed up with a bad guy, but that could happen to anybody. The point is you got to her before it was too late. She went a little off the rails but she’s back on track now. Hey,” he said, tapping Jess on the head so he would look up and meet his eyes. “You did good,” he insisted. “You’re doing good, and not just with Doula. Jack and Tori, they’re amazing kids, Jess. You proved it, just like Lorelai did with Rory. You don’t have to have a perfect beginning to build a great life.”

If Jess were the type to get emotional, he had a feeling now might be one of those moments when it would be happening. Thankfully his self-control had steel cables attached. There would be no tears, no shake in the voice, but it was a close run thing.

“Thanks,” he said quickly, clearing his throat.

“You’re welcome,” Luke replied. “Hey, how ‘bout them Dodgers?”

They both laughed at the obvious cliché of a question and conversation moved on to other things. There was a full hour of chatter before anything of note came up again.

“Of course this stupid damn leg means I can’t pick April up from the airport,” said Luke crossly. “It takes a half hour and three people just to get me in and out of the passenger side of the truck.”

“You need me to go?” asked Jess as he returned to the living room with two mugs of tea.

“No, thanks, it’s fine. Lorelai wants to do it,” he explained, thanking his nephew for the drink. “I guess I should be grateful that this happened now and not right before the actual wedding.”

“Looking forward to walking her down the aisle, huh?”

“I don’t hate the idea.” Luke smiled. “Not that I love being old enough to have another daughter getting married.”

Jess smiled at that comment too. He knew Luke had thought of Rory as his own kid long before he and Lorelai ever got together officially. Of course the comment about his age was just amusing.

“Please! Rory made you a grandfather sixteen years ago and you claimed to feel old then. By now you should be used to it.”

“Oh yeah?” Luke countered. “Well just wait a couple of years until Jack comes home and tells you he got Alison Forester pregnant then see how young you feel!”

Jess spat tea all over the coffee table in an impressive spray. He looked at Luke with wide eyes and a thunderous expression, making his uncle immediately regret his words.

“Jess, I... I’m sorry,” he apologised. “I didn’t mean... I was making a point, giving an example, that’s all. I am sorry.”

“I guess I deserved that,” he muttered, even as he went to find something to clean up the mess with.

Luke couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he watched Jess walk away and was still trying to hold in a grin wen he returned.

“You look real amused for a guy who’s apologising.”

“Yeah, well. I guess it’s not awful for me to know that you’re finally understanding how it felt to be me when you and Rory were teenagers.”

Jess shook his head and concentrated on wiping the table over. Yeah, he definitely deserved that.

* * *

“Hey, thanks for this,” said Lane as she handed another box down to Rory. “I know we’re all busy lately, and really Zach should be the one helping me, but one of us pretty much always has to be at the store. I know you have work too, but you’re always saying how flexible your job is so-”

“Lane, it’s fine.” Rory smiled. “Honestly, I’m glad to help. It’s nice to have something different to do with my day. Besides, you know how much I love to organise.”

“So do I! Which makes you wonder how the attic even got into this mess.” Lane sighed as she carefully stepped down from the ladder and surveyed the pile of boxes and bags lying in the hallway. “I swear, I used to have everything in order, all alphabetised and carefully sorted.”

“Just like the CDs under the floorboards.” Rory nodded. “You were meticulous, even in secret.”

“Exactly!” Lane exclaimed. “Ugh. I blame the boys, and I don’t just mean Steve and Kwan,” she noted as she and Rory knelt down on the carpet together and started to investigate what each of the mystery boxes contained.

There were many and various things that Lane both expected to find and that she was completely surprised by. Just a few clothes from when the twins were babies (much had been passed on to the next mother-to-be, but some special things just had to be saved), a lot of photographs and scrapbooks, some plush toys, Christmas ornaments, and more. A small cardboard box without any kind of labelling was somewhere in back and it was Rory who prised it open, frowning at the mysterious contents.

“Okay, I have a bible, a few CDs, a corsage... Oh, Lane!” she gasped as she realised what she had uncovered. “Is this...? Is it the Dave box?”

Lane was wide-eyed with shock as she leaned over to see and then she smiled. “Wow. I honestly had no idea it was up there. I mean, I guess if you had asked me if I still had it I would’ve had to say yes and I would’ve guessed if it were anywhere it’d be in the attic, but... Wow!” she repeated, sitting down hard with the box now in her lap.

Leafing through the contents she found herself getting nostalgic and oddly teary. Dave Rygalski. He had been her first real boyfriend, a guy she thought would be the John to her Yoko, or possibly something less likely to break up a band. In the end, he had been the Dave Lee Roth to Hep Alien’s Van Halen, and for Lane, just a stepping stone to true happiness with Zach.

“It’s crazy to think how different things might’ve been if he had stuck around,” said Rory thoughtfully.

“No.” Lane shook her head and smiled through a veil of tears she couldn’t explain. “Y’know as weird as it probably sounds, I really don’t think things would’ve turned out any differently at all. I mean, yeah, if you had asked me back then if I thought I would end up with Dave, I would’ve said sure, without question. If you had asked me if I saw myself with Zach, seventeen year old me would’ve laughed in your face, but... but now I look back and I think in the long run, it would always have turned out this way. Me and Zach, the twins. I can’t imagine being this happy any other way.”

Rory smiled. “I know what you mean,” she said, nodding her head. “Sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened if I never went to New York that Summer, looking for Jess. If me and Dean had tried to make it work that second time or something, but I can’t make sense of it in my head. It has to be me and Jess, always. I can’t see my life without him in it.”

With both women so close to tears, neither could speak anymore, not for a full five minutes. Lane laughed then.

“How pathetic are we?” she asked, hand sliding under the edge of her glasses to wipe away stray tears.

“Not pathetic, just happy with our lives, and a little sentimental, that’s all,” Rory insisted. “So, what happens with the box?”

Lane opened her mouth to answer and then changed her mind. The obvious answer was to throw it away and yet she couldn’t quite bring herself to do it. No matter how great her life was with Zach and the boys, she didn’t regret Dave, she couldn’t ever. Without him, she might never have met her husband. As tearful as it could make her, the past was still a nice place to visit sometimes.

“Keep it,” she said eventually.

“Yeah.” Rory nodded. “I get that.”

* * *

“You are too cute,” said Tori, swinging on her stool. “Seriously adorable,” she teased Billy as he raised a hand in a wave to Tara.

His girlfriend was keeping her sister company, hanging out in the Soda Shoppe which could clearly be seen beyond the glass. She would come around to the diner itself and probably bring Belinda with her when her shift was done. In the meantime, Billy was watching Tara from afar and Tori was finding it far too amusing.

“Yeah, and you’re not just as ‘cute’ when you’re texting your boyfriend at the lunch table,” he told his niece with a look. “Don’t think we all didn’t notice the dumb grin on your face and knew exactly who you were talking to.”

“I’m sorry, ‘Uncle’ Billy,” she teased him, knowing how he hated to be called that. “Did you want to give Dax the talk about treating little Tori right?”

“I think Jess would do that talk better than me,” he said pointedly. “Does your dad even know you and Dax are a couple now?”

“We’re not a couple,” she denied immediately, then saw the look on his face. “Well, I guess we kind of are. It’s complicated.”

“Tor, the person that you’re making out with, who sends you text messages that make you grin like that, who you can’t think about without turning to mush? That’s the person you’re a couple with.”

Tori smiled, knowing he had a point, and that he should know whereof he spoke since he and Tara were very definitely a couple.

Billy moved away from the counter to serve coffee, and Tori turned all the way around on her stool to see how Jaime was doing. She had taken over the nearest table with all her art materials and an awful lot of paper, most of which was screwed up into balls already. It had been days since Tori saw the poor girl create anything she seemed truly happy with. It was worrying.

“Hey, Jaime? You okay?” she checked.

“Yes,” she answered too shortly for it to be true. “No. I will be when I figure this out,” she muttered, screwing up another page from her sketch book and throwing it off the end of the table.

Tori winced as she watched the paper roll away under a table. Kirk leant down to pick it up, looking around as if confused. He spotted Jaime at the table and was about to head over when Billy intercepted and offered him free coffee if he stayed put. He wasn’t so dumb as to refuse. Tori sighed in relief, hopped down from her stool and joined Jaime at the table.

“Maybe you’re trying too hard,” she suggested. “I know this art project is kind of a big deal-”

“Kind of a big deal?” Jaime echoed, just this side of manic as she stared at her friend. “Fifty percent of my grade, Tori. Fifty!” she repeated too loudly.

“I know, it matters a lot, but if you keep pushing yourself to come up with something, I just don’t think it’s ever going to happen,” she advised as kindly as she could. “Maybe if you thought about something else?”

“I can’t think about anything in this place!” Jaime complained, standing to gather up all her things systematically.

She did it so fast and was gone so quickly, Tori was astounded by the speed. Somehow she didn’t think she had helped and hated knowing that. With a sigh, she went back to the counter, downed the rest of her soda, and considered heading home. She had studying of her own to do and it was probably time she got to it whilst the house was empty and quiet. Heading for the door, she stopped short when Doula came in.

“Oh, hey, D,” she greeted her.

“Hey,” her ‘aunt’ replied in kind. “How’s things?”

“Things are good.” Tori nodded.

This was weird. Doula hadn’t been in school since the incident with Tommy. The official story was that she was sick with stomach flu, but those in the close circle of family and friends knew better. Tori suspected more than just them were aware about the drugs and Tommy and everything, but there was at least enough tact in the Hollow these days that nobody mentioned it.

As far as she knew, Doula was due to come back Monday, at least that was what her father had told her. Tori didn’t like to ask too many questions to be honest. She hated to judge, but the whole drugs thing bothered her more than a little. That didn’t mean she didn’t love Doula just as much as ever, of course, and right now she looked like she could use a friend.

“I was headed home,” said Tori, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. “The house is empty. You wanna come hang out? We have ice-cream,” she said with a smile.

“I’d kill for some Phish Food right about now!” Doula exclaimed happily, though her expression looked just a little forced.

Tori could understand that.

“Cool. Honestly, I could use a little girl-talk with someone not my mom or my grandma. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great and all, but after what happened with Dax, I kinda need another teen girl perspective.”

The light came back to Doula’s eyes a little bit at the idea of hearing that kind of gossip and Tori was glad to see the old Doula was still in there somewhere. Hopefully she was going to be fine, given time and ice-cream.


	25. Chapter 25

They were all out on the porch of the Crap Shack when Lorelai arrived back from the airport with April - Rory and Jess with Jack and Tori at their side, then Billy with Luke parked up in his wheelchair as well. It was a round of hugs and cheers as she came rushing up the steps to greet everyone.

“Oh, it’s been way too long since we saw you!” said Rory as she hugged her step-sister tightly. “And congratulations on getting engaged.”

“Thanks, and you’re right, way too long,” April agreed. “I’m just sorry it’s only me.”

“What happened to that future husband of yours anyway?” asked Jess.

“There was a complete mess at the hospital,” his cousin explained, rolling her eyes dramatically. “Half the surgical team have gone down with the norovirus, Paul just couldn’t get away.”

“Well, we’re glad you’re here,” said Tori happily.

“Me too. My God, I swear you three grow an inch every time I see you. They’re starting to make me feel short,” she told the responsible parents with fake annoyance.

“You are short,” Jess countered, stepping back when she plafully swung at him.

A moment later his arm was around her shoulders as he led her inside, following Luke who struggled still with his wheelchair. April asked how he was doing with the leg and all, and as usual Luke said he was just fine. It was Lorelai who came in bringing up the rear who gave a proper explanation. Oddly, Luke’s health had only been skimmed over in the car ride from the airport. Lorelai and April had got straight into ideas for the wedding, as women were wont to do in such a situation.

“Wow, that is some ring,” said Tori, taking a look at the rock on April’s finger, only having seen it in pictures up to now.

“You are not wrong,” Rory agreed.

“What impressed me was how you can’t even see where the Titanic hit it,” Lorelai grinned. “April, I left your bags in the car and I’ll drop them by the inn when I go back to work later.”

“Thanks,” she said with a smile. “As for the ring, it was actually Paul’s grandmother’s. Kind of a big deal,” she said, looking almost nervous as she turned it around and around on her finger. “Anyway, before this trip becomes all about my wedding plans, how’s everybody else doing?”

The kids were happy to tell all about their new relationships. Though April was technically Billy’s half-sister and Jack and Tori’s cousin-once-removed, she pretty much held the role of cool aunt in the lives of all the kids. They told her things that they probably wouldn’t even have told their parents, and she never really judged at all. She was old enough to be full of good advice, and young enough to not feel like a real adult to the teens.

“So, apart from Dad’s accident, everything seems to be going pretty good,” said April happily, smile fading some when she noticed a look pass between Jess and Rory. “Or possibly there’s something you’re not telling me? Seriously, guys, what gives?”

“Doula’s had a little trouble lately,” said Jess, sighing heavily. “She’s doing better now, but... There was a bad kid hanging around.”

“A bad kid that brought a friend named Mary Jane,” supplied Lorelai.

“Lorelai,” said Luke, not unlike a warning, as he shook his his head.

“What? It is what it is, Luke. No use hiding it, especially not from April. Doula is her cousin after all.”

“A lot of kids experiment with drugs.”

“We don’t,” said Jack seriously. “I didn’t think Doula was that dumb.”

“Jack,” said Rory in the same tone Luke had used with his wife just moments before.

“It’s cool, Ror. He’s right,” said Jess easily. “I’m glad our kids are smarter than that. I’m only sorry Doula wasn’t.”

“Well, she’s out of that situation now, right?” asked April.

“Jess talked her around,” Luke promised. “He’s pretty good at that.”

Rory smiled and leaned into her husband’s side. She was very proud of him, of what a great man he was, what a wonderful husband, father and brother he had proven to be. So much for all those people, including her own mom, who once said Jess would never amount to anything, that he was a bad influence, not trustworthy. Rory had always known she was right to put her faith in him, to give him her heart. Never once since they got back together had she regretted a moment of their entwined lives.

“Y’know, I look at you guys and I think if Paul and I can be even half so happy and in love after being married so long, we’ll be doing okay,” said April, smiling at the two of them.

“Takes a lot of effort,” said Rory, too seriously. “You have no idea what I have to put up with.”

“Huh!” Jess reacted with mock-hurt. “What you have to put up with?” he countered, trying not to smirk and failing badly. “I’m amazed I haven’t gone crazy after all this time living with you.”

“Crazy is as crazy does,” she said, unable to keep from laughing by now.

Tori laughed too. Some teens would be grossed out by their parents being cute, but not her. She always found it funny and kind of cool actually. It had to be nice to be so in love, so sure of the other person like that. She wanted that one day.

“Y’know you guys don’t have to hang here all day with me,” April told the kids then. “I mean, I love that you’re here to see me, but you probably have more exciting plans than wedding talk, which is all you’re gonna hear from me for the next few hours.”

“Actually, I should get back to the diner,” said Billy checking his watch.

“Me too,” Jess realised suddenly. “We’ll catch up some more later, cous,” he told April, before heading out with Billy on his tail.

“I could stay, if you want a third opinion?" said Rory hopefully. "There's an article I have to get done by Monday but I have some time for my sister's wedding plans," she said with a smile at April.

“I was thinking I’d head over to see the bands practice,” said Tori, moving from April's side and encouraging her mom to take her place. “Hep Alien have their reunion gig in a couple of weeks,” she told April.

“Yeah, and they’re planning on having Anarchy’s Child join them for a couple of songs,” said Jack, getting up to go with his sister. “Kwan’s excitement levels are off the chart.”

“I’ll bet they are.” April laughed. “Well, tell them all good luck from me... or break a leg, I guess? I don’t know what the correct sentiment is for rock bands,” she noted with a frown.

“We’ll tell them you said ‘hi’,” Tori promised, leaning in to hug her cousin. “If you get a chance you should swing by and hear the music. They all rock.”

“Especially the new drummer for Anarchy’s Child, at least that’s what Toria thinks,” said Jack, earning himself a smack in the chest from his sister.

Nevertheless he was laughing as they left together.

“They’re so grown up,” said April as the door closed behind them. “Daddy, I feel old!” she whined, letting her head fall forward onto his knee.

“I’m sorry? You feel old,” he countered. “You, the twenty nine year old with her whole life ahead of her?”

“The twenty nine year old who doesn’t have a thirteen year old daughter, like I had at that age,” added Lorelai as she rejoined them, a bowl of chips in one hand and a pile of bridal magazines in the other.

“Point taken,” said April as she sat up and took notice. “So, I really don’t have much planned yet, wedding-wise” she admitted, as the pile of magazines were dropped unceremoniously into her lap - she passed a couple to Rory. “All Paul and I have really decided for sure is that we want something fairly small, at the inn, obviously, and I did agree to let my mom help pick out my dress.”

“Of course.” Lorelai nodded. “Well, y’know, if you want Anna to be here-”

“No,” said April quickly. “No, I... I love my mother, but we don't have much in common when it comes to this kind of thing. The dress may yet be a drama, but as to the arrangements, I’d rather make those choices with a professional. You’ve done this a hundred times before, plus I trust your judgement,” she said with a smile before turning her attention to the first magazine on her pile.

Lorelai looked at Luke over April’s head and wore a wide smile. He returned the look, proud as she was to be involved in April’s wedding like this. Maybe they should feel bad for Anna, and yet somehow, they really didn’t.

* * *

There was an enormous round of applause in spite of the small audience gathered in the converted-garage at the Van Gerbig house. Hep Alien brought their medley of rock classics to a crashing end, and nobody could tell they hadn't played together much in the past few years. Jack, Tori, and Steve stood alongside the four members of Anarchy’s Child, cheering and calling for an encore.

“What do you say, babe? One more for the kids?” said Zach to his wife.

“I have a better idea.” Lane grinned. “I think we’ve had enough practise for now, how about letting the next generation show us what they can do?” she said, getting up from the drum stool. “Have you guys decided what you want to play at the gig yet?”

“It’s gotta be something that fits in with the set, guys,” Zach warned them.

“Dude, they know what it is to rock!” Gil reminded him. “Whatever they pick, I know it’ll be awesome.”

“Wish me luck,” whispered Dax as he passed by Tori.

“You don’t need it,” she promised him with a smile that wouldn’t shift.

Kwan had been as good as his word on letting Dax try out for the band. With his basic skills already and a whole lot of natural talent, Lane found he didn’t need that much tutoring to be really good. When the choice was Dax or a drum machine, Kwan favoured the actual human before he even tried him out. Since hearing him play, he was not at all disappointed with the idea of having him join the band. The others easily agreed.

“What are we going for?” asked Shelley, adjusting her guitar strap across her body. “Radioactive? All The Small Things? Invincible?”

“Invincible,” said Kwan, looking to Peter who nodded his approval. “You got this Dax?”

“Sure,” he agreed, taking a breath and then hitting the sticks together to count everybody in.

They absolutely killed one of OKGo’s greatest tracks, with all of Hep Alien, plus the other kids, clapping and singing along. Maybe they weren’t quite as strong or as polished as their inspiration, but they held their own. Lane certainly wasn’t regretting her decision to have Anarchy’s Child debut at the concert in two weeks’ time. It was going to be amazing.

Nobody yelled louder than Tori when the song was over, but everyone knew as much as she loved the band in general, she was mostly screaming her lungs out for the drummer. Dax looked exhausted when he relinquished the drum stool to Lane again and returned to Tori’s side.

“That was pretty awesome,” she told him happily.

“Yeah?” he checked. “So are you,” he said, pulling her closer and kissing her quickly on the lips.

Maybe it was adrenaline from playing even to this small audience after the mighty Hep Alien had done the same. Dax couldn’t say for sure. He just knew that Tori looked totally kissable right there and then so he acted on instinct. It was the first time anybody had ever seen the two in any kind of embrace. Jack looked visibly squicked when Tori glanced at him and she blushed terribly when she realised what just happened.

“Ooh, check out the lovebirds!” said Gil with a chuckle. “Dude, that is adorable.”

“Gil, leave them alone,” Brian advised. “You’re embarrassing them.”

“I second that,” said Tori, hiding her face in Dax’s shoulder just as much as she could as almost everybody else laughed.

Jack was about to make a comment when his phone buzzed in his pocket. Checking the screen, he suddenly smiled.

“Good news?” asked Steve.

“Ah, no... or, yeah, I guess,” he explained badly as he typed a text in reply to the one he had just received. “Alison asked if I wanna go over to her place, so...”

“So, obviously, you’re going,” said Tori, with a sigh she couldn’t help.

Within a minute her brother was gone. Nobody else paid much mind to his absence, focused as they were on the music, but Tori couldn't help but feel his loss. She really didn’t like that Jack just seemed willing to drop everything and bolt the moment Alison Forester snapped her fingers, but it was his raison d’etre of late.

“What’s going on?” asked Alex as he appeared at the door.

Martha was beside him, her hand held firmly in his. “Jack just ran by us like his butt was on fire. Any idea where he’s going?”

“Three guesses,” said Tori, rolling her eyes. “You won’t need 'em.”

They were all thinking the same thing, there was no doubt about that. Something just wasn’t right about how things were going with Jack and Alison. It was tempting to suggest some kind of intervention, but Tori didn’t like to say it, and clearly neither did Martha nor Alex.

Instead, they concentrated on the music of Hep Alien and Anarchy’s Child as they continued to practise for the gig in two weeks, figuring out the set list and how it would all work as a show. The whole time Tori kept sneaking looks at Martha and Alex, unable to keep from smiling at how happy they looked together in their new, closer relationship. Of course, she felt equally as good in her own situation, Dax’s arm around her shoulders as they bopped along to Hep Alien’s screaming performance of ‘Fell in Love with A Girl’. Life wasn’t exactly perfect, but it wasn’t half bad right now.


	26. Chapter 26

Jack Mariano wasn’t sure exactly what being in love felt like. If anybody asked him, he would tell them that Alison Forester meant a lot to him, that he liked her, and that he would do just about anything to make her happy. He figured that probably added up to being in love, but he always assumed you needed two for it to be real, and Alison’s feelings were just a little less certain.

She seemed to want him around a lot the past week or so. Before that, she had been blowing hot and cold on him, which was starting to drive him crazy. Jack was about to say something to her, when suddenly Alison got very friendly, very eager to have him over to her house and to go out with her friends. Though he sometimes suggested they hang out with his friends for a change, Alison was never very keen, saying she felt self-conscious with so many of his family in the group. Jack let it go.

Last weekend had been kind of awkward. With April visiting from New York, Jack had intended to spend more time at home, but Alison had begged him for his company, at least partially for homework help. He didn’t want to say no to her, and besides April totally understood. She made comments about young love and ruffled Jack’s hair the way she had since he was a kid. He pretended to hate it, just like his father when Luke did it to him, but it wasn’t so bad.

Now it was Alison who had her fingers in Jack’s hair, and she wasn’t being cute at all. Sometimes Jack had to remind himself that no matter how tempted he was, he really shouldn’t push his luck. His father would kill him, never mind hers. Women were supposed to be treated with respect. Add to that the fact Jack had limited experience of making out in the first place and it meant he and Alison were very much a first base couple, even after all the time they had spent together there.

This particular Saturday afternoon, Jack had sort of planned to hang out with Alex and Martha, but as Alison quite rightly said, now they were dating they would probably rather be alone anyway. There was enough help at the diner that Jack wasn’t rostered on until the evening shift, and he was almost up to date on his homework. There was nowhere else Jack wanted or needed to be, especially now, as Alison pushed her body into his on the couch.

“Jack?” she said near his ear. “Are you ever going to go for second base?”

There was laughter in her voice that made him blush beet red, though thankfully at this angle she wouldn’t notice. Jack swallowed hard.

“I didn’t... I didn’t know if you wanted me to.”

She was grinning when she pulled back, popping opening the first two buttons on her shirt then shifting his hands upwards from her waist. Jack wasn’t complaining when she resumed kissing him, but he never felt so awkward in his entire life.

It probably wasn’t supposed to be like this. He always thought the guy was supposed to go for second and the girl was supposed to protest, at least at first, before eventually giving in. He heard rumours he would rather not know about when it came to Doula and girls like her, but Alison didn’t seem to be that kind of girl, at least not until the last few days. Now she was all but on top of him, and Jack was having trouble keeping a straight train of thought going as she moved her body against his own.

Jack was completely oblivious to Alison peering at the clock over his shoulder. She was smiling against his lips when she realised everything was going according to the plan. Just another five minutes, maybe less, that was all she needed. Pulling at Jack’s T-shirt, she made every effort to encourage him out of it, and he didn’t take all that much persuading in the end. She was in his lap by now, pressing her body down just so until she felt him rise to the occasion.

The front door opened with a clatter, and Jack broke out a lust-induced haze, almost throwing Alison out of his lap, just as her parents walked into the living room.

* * *

“So, you doing better now?”

“I guess so,” said Doula, heaving a world weary sigh.

April wasn’t concerned, in fact she smiled at the sound. Her little cousin had a habit for over-dramatics, and the fact she was employing those tactics just proved she was getting back to her old self. April would be more worried by serious answers or faked enthusiasm for life. After her talk with Doula last weekend, she was pretty damn sure the kid was never going back to drugs. Maybe playing around with a little marijuana wasn’t the worst thing a teenager could do, but it was right up there on the list. A talk from ‘Aunt’ April on the dangers inherent with any drug use had Doula swearing never to touch a joint again for the rest of her natural. From possible links to psychosis through cancers and heart disease, April hadn’t been stingy with the graphic details, especially when it came to the neurology, the part she was an expert in. Sure, Jess could tell Doula that drugs were bad, anybody could, but it hit even harder coming from a scientist who was also a person Doula loved and respected.

“So, school is good?” She asked with genuine interest.

Another sigh greeted that question.

“School is school. Now I have to avoid one bunch of people, and another bunch are avoiding me. Makes it tougher, but I can deal,” she confirmed.

“Good to hear,” April told her. “Because I was thinking, maybe, if your grades pick up a little and there’s no more trouble, maybe you’d like to come spend a week or two of your Summer vacation here in the city?”

“Are you serious?!”asked Doula, so loud and high pitched that she almost pierced April’s ear drum. “That would be amazing!”

“I’m glad you think so, but like I said, no trouble and good grades, that’s the deal.”

Doula started talking a mile a minute, making April laugh. Honestly, she was just happy to know she was helping and that she was making Doula so enthusiastic about life. She had gone crazy enough when April invited her to be a bridesmaid at her wedding. As small as the ceremony was supposed to be, she really only intended to have Lorelai and Rory take the role of bridesmaid, but having had a long talk with Jess about his sister, April realised maybe giving Doula a special role might help her to feel more included, more like she belonged, since that seemed to be a large part of her problem lately. The Summer break was a joint decision between the cousins too, after Jess expressed some concern about Liz and TJ taking Doula off with the Ren Fayre troupe again. Those folks were fine but some of them had a tendency towards loose morals, for lack of a better term. Drugs and sexual activity were things to be kept out of Doula’s path for as long as possible. April had pointed out that if that was the case, NYC maybe   
wasn’t the place for her, but she had only been kidding. She and Paul could take Doula in for a while, maybe even encourage her to want to grow up and act a little smarter. It couldn’t hurt to try.

“Well, we’ll have to fix up some dates nearer the time,” said April when Doula finally stopped talking in excited terms. “You have four months to fix those grades and show some good behaviour. I’ll be checking with your brother, okay?”

“You got it, April,” said Doula happily. “And thanks, for everything. I mean that.”

“You’re more than welcome.”

* * *

“Stand by your spatulas, the boss is in the house!” Lorelai announced dramatically as she wheeled Luke into the diner.

Lane was laughing as she came around the counter to greet them, whilst Steve and Kwan both raised a hand in some kind of wave/salute as they served patrons and bussed tables respectively. It was probably not how they wanted to spend their Saturday, especially Kwan, but everybody was pitching in at the moment, no excuses.

“Checking up on me?” asked Lane as she came to sit by Luke, the grin on her face proving she was joking.

“Lane, you proved yourself to be a trustworthy adult at eighteen. I doubt that’s changed after a marriage, two kids, and a business of your own.”

“And you’re not wrong,” she assured him. “Lunch was kind of crazy but we’re in the lull right now, so you timed your visit perfectly.”

“No, I timed our visit perfectly,” insisted Lorelai, thanking Steve as he brought her a coffee immediately. “I always liked you better,” she told him with a wink.

“Hey!” Kwan protested as he passed by, even though he knew she was joking.

“How’s the band sounding, kid?” she asked him. “Pretty good, I’m betting.”

“Not bad. The new drummer adds a little something. Thankfully something that doesn’t suck,” he noted, crossing behind the counter with the plates and glasses he had collected.

“Dax has talent,” Lane confirmed. “Honestly? I think it’s Hep Alien that needs the practice more than Anarchy’s Child. I never expected to feel so rusty!”

“Well, get yourself oiled up, babe, because that reunion gig won’t wait,” said Lorelai, before making a face. “Yeah, I just replayed that in my head.”

“Dirty,” Luke confirmed what Lorelai was already thinking.

“Absolutely! Sorry,” she shook her head. “So, you guys are covering until Jess and Jack get in later?”

“Yup, that’s the plan,” said Lane. “Zach has Brian to help him out at the store. He’s been a real trooper the past couple of weeks.”

“You’re all being so helpful. I am grateful, Lane,” said Luke definitely. “You know if I could get out of this thing any sooner...” he said, slamming his hands against the arms of the wheelchair.

“Luke, it’s okay,” she promised him. “We’re coping just fine. Not that we’re fine, I mean, it’d be better if you were here. We don’t not need you, because hey, what is Luke’s without Luke!”

“Hon?” said Lorelai, patting Lane’s hand. “Put the shovel down now.”

Lane nodded and closed her mouth firmly.

“So, we didn’t just come here for the fun of seeing if the diner is still standing” said Lorelai then. “I was hoping to talk to you about April’s wedding plans. Now, as you know it’s going to be a small affair, classy, intimate, and all at the Dragonfly.”

“Oh, I understand if we’re not invited.”

“Lane! C’mon, of course you’re going to be invited. April loves you. You guys are family! No, what I was actually going to say is, April was thinking about music for the wedding. She has this friend who’s going to do the DJ thing for the Reception, but she was hoping that maybe for the first dance, Hep Alien could do their rockin’ thing.”

“Oh, of course!” Lane enthused. “Oh my God, that is such an honour!”

“Obviously, April would’ve asked to about this herself, she still will, but last weekend we hadn’t firmly settled things and she and Paul are still giving the song some serious thought...”

“I could call her with some ideas?” Lane suggested. “Or is that too pushy?”

“She’d probably appreciate it” said Luke. “Actually, I’d appreciate it. There was talk of Celine Dion at one point.”

“Oh no! No, no, no,” said Lane definitely. “No, I will fix that right away. No problem. In fact, I just need to call Zach.”

She was up and away in a second, grabbing the phone to call her husband about potential wedding songs they could pitch to April. Lorelai laughed at the display.

“I love our nutty clan of crazies,” she said looking fondly at Lane and then at Luke. “We have our problems, but in the end, it all works out okay.”

“It does,” said Luke, reaching for her hand and pulling her closer. “Thank you, Lorelai, for everything you’re doing, not just for April’s wedding but... everything,” he told her. “All these years, you’d think you would’ve stopped surprising me by now, but you never do. Still the most amazing woman I ever met.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” she told him, leaning in closer to kiss his lips.

* * *

Jack was hoping that when he got home, nobody would be around. His father was due at work at the diner soon, so was Jack, but he figured if Dad left first, he could sneak in and out of the house, a change of clothes and he never had to know anything. There was a good chance Mom wouldn’t be home either, having also gone to the diner or maybe to the inn. Tori might be hanging out at home, but if she was, she would likely be in her room. Jack stood a good chance of getting through the front door and up the stairs without being noticed at all. Apparently, today was not Jack Mariano’s lucky day.

“Damn it,” he muttered when he opened the front door and immediately heard the laughter of his mother and sister in the living room. Still, he hoped he could hurry to the stairs without incident. Unfortunately not.

“Jack?” said Rory when she realised he was there. “Hey, what happened to you?” she asked, practically leaping from the couch when she realised something was wrong.

“I’m fine. It’s nothing,” he said, shying away from her when her hand reached out to his torn jacket and the red mark on his cheek.

“Jack Lucas Richard Mariano, you tell me right now what happened!” said his mother firmly.

Tori was leaning over the back of the couch by now to see what was wrong, gasping at the sight of her brother. He was doing his best to hide himself and not explain which only made the women in his family worry more.

“Does this have to do with Alison?” asked Tori, knowing it was Miss Forrester he had been to see today.

“Tori, don’t!” he said with a look.

“Oh, no way,” said Rory then, going over to the stairs and yelling up. “Jess!”

“Why does this family have to have a full scale enquiry over every little thing?!” Jack complained, hating that once again his relationship with Alison was about to be under scrutiny.

“Ror? What’s going on?” asked Jess worriedly as he came rushing down the stairs, still in the middle of fastening is shirt.

He looked from is wife to his son, eyes going wide. Immediately he moved over to Jack, taking his chin in his hand to inspect the damage.

“I’m fine!” Jack insisted one more time, pulling away. “I tripped going out the door and hit my face. I’ll live,” he said definitely.

“Yeah, and a football hit me in the face in twelfth grade,” muttered Jess, shooting Rory a significant look.

“Tripping doesn’t explain what happened to your jacket, or why you came creeping into the house like you have something to hide,” she told her son, hands on hips and eyes flashing crossly.

“Or why your T-shirt is on inside out,” said Tori, earning herself another dirty look from her brother.

In this case, she didn’t care. She had Jack’s back in all things, but right now, the truth needed to come out, she knew that, even if Jack was being dumb and refusing to see it. He might hate her for today but in the end he would see sense, he was too smart not to in the long run.

“Jack,” said Jess, getting his attention. “What happened, son?”

There was no getting out of this and they all knew it. Jack was well aware of all the trouble that was about to erupt the moment he opened his mouth, but he really did not have a choice. There was no way out.

“I was over at Alison’s place,” he explained, eyes on the carpet, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose a moment. “We were... Her parents came home and found us.”

“Oh God!” Rory groaned. “Please tell me you were not in her bed.”

“Mom!” Jack gasped at the implication. “You raised me better than that!”

“Tori, go to your room,” said Jess then, looking to her with a pleading expression when she made a sound of indignation. “Please, sweetheart.”

Knowing she wasn’t helping any by arguing, Tori nodded her head and conceded to her father’s request. The moment she was gone, Jess invited Jack with no lack of force to sit down on the couch. Rory grabbed at her husband’s arm and leaned in to speak in his ear.

“Calm,” she reminded him.

Jess forced a breath in and out of his lungs then sat down in the chair opposite his son. Rory perched on the arm beside him

“Jack,” she said then, “start from the beginning, tell us everything.”

He sighed heavily, ran a hand over his face and immediately regretted it. A hiss of pain escaped as his palm dragged over the mark that would doubtless be a bruise before long.

“We were just hanging out, and... and then we were kissing. I’m pretty sure you remember how it goes,” he said to his parents.

The significant look on his face was not lost on them, after all, he had been born when they were just teenagers in love who probably got a little more carried way than they should have one night. Hypocrite was not a favourite word of Jess or Rory.

“Go on,” said Jess stiffly.

“I told you, her parents walked in. My shirt was off, Alison’s was unbuttoned, and she... she was kind of in my lap.”

“Aaw, geez!” said Jess, pushing a hand back through his hair.

He could well imagine what that picture looked like to Alison’s parents, not least because Jack was no doubt very much in a particular zone when the interruption came along. Forester would’ve seen red, any father would have. The fact that Jack was Jess’ son and looked similar to him in a lot of ways, that really would not have helped.

“Did he... did he do that?” he asked, gesturing to the mark on his son’s face.

“Jack, you have to tell us,” asked Rory, trying to be the calm one, even as Jess struggled with the same.

His leg was jiggling with pent up energy, lips twitching with words he wasn’t saying, fingers curling into fists where they hung between is knees. She knew the signs and she didn’t like them much.

“He, er... He wanted me out of the house,” said Jack. “He yelled. A lot. Which I get, then he pretty much threw me out of the door. Mrs Forester wouldn’t let him hit me. I think he wanted to.”

Rory put her hand on Jess’ shoulder to keep him from leaping up and doing something stupid.

“So the mark?” she prompted Jack.

“I told you I tripped and hit it on the door, but only because he was pretty much literally throwing me out. Trying to get away from him got my jacket torn up,” he admitted sadly. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t think for a second that you don’t have plenty of reasons to be sorry, because you do,” said Jess definitely as he got to his feet, despite Rory’s best attempts to keep him down. “But Forrester is going to be a hell of a lot more sorry for laying his hands on you. Asshole’s going to pay for this. Right now!”


	27. Chapter 27

“Jess, stop!” Rory yelled, literally standing in his path with her hands on his shoulders. “Just stop and think about what you’re doing!”

“I’m going to knock your ex into next Thursday for laying his hands on our son!” said Jess definitely. “C’mon, Rory. He had no right!”

“Just think, will you please!” she tried again to get through to the intelligent man she married rather than the thug he had a tenancy to be when he let his survival instincts take over. “Jess, think how you would react, if you came home and found Tori in some shirtless guy’s lap!”

“That’s different.”

“How is it?.”

“She’s fourteen!”

“And Alison is fifteen, so what? Think how you would react, and try to forget that you’re dealing with Dean for three seconds. Think of him as a father, as a guy like you. Please!”

His eyes met hers and she knew he saw her point, no matter how much he would like to not be reasonable in this moment. At least she might have prevented him from doing something rash, even if she had hurt him just a little in the process.

“I am nothing like him!” said Jess angrily, turning to walk away.

Rory didn’t like that he was still leaving but the fact he slammed out of the back door rather than the front gave her some hope that he wasn’t going to go and do what he had originally planned. It wouldn’t help. If Jess punched out Dean, it wouldn’t improve this situation one little bit. Rory knew that Jess would see that clearly soon, when he let the red mist of anger clear. No, Dean shouldn’t have laid hands on Jack and she planned on telling him so before long, but more physicality was not what was needed here. Talking like reasonable adults might just help. Rory knew she needed to start with Jack.

“Mom?” he said, getting her attention. “I swear to you, I didn’t do anything that Alison didn’t want me to. I know it’s always the guy’s fault, but honestly? She asked me to... She wasn’t saying no, not even a little.”

Rory sighed. “I believe you,” she assured him. “But Jack, just because a girl will let you do something doesn’t necessarily mean you should, especially not in her parents house in the middle of the afternoon!” she told him, more frustrated than really angry with him.

“I’m sorry,” he told her, looking genuinely apologetic.

“I know you are. Just, could you maybe go to your room for a while, give things a chance to settle?”

“Sure.” Jack nodded, taking himself off up the stairs.

Rory watched him go then looked towards the back door through which Jess had gone. She would love to go talk to him some more but for right now she figured maybe she was better off letting him be. As much as they were a team and everything, sometimes Jess still needed his space to process alone, and Rory liked to turn to the one person in her life who had always been a rock from the very begnning. Quickly writing a note and leaving it on the table, Rory let her family know she was gone to see Lorelai and would be back later, knowing if anyone here read it they would more than understand.

* * *

It was a good half hour since the big blow out. Tori had stayed in her room just listening for a long time. She heard little in the way of words, but she knew the yelling went on for a while and then the back door slammed. She figured that was her dad heading out, unsure how to deal with his anger and frustration anymore. Jack came upstairs a while after and went into his room without any yelling or slamming. That was probably a good thing. Tori thought about going to see if he was okay, but now didn’t seem like the right time. If he wanted her company, he knew where to find her, and sometimes he was better off left alone a while.

Deciding to head downstairs and see what was happening with the parents, Tori was surprised to find her mother wasn’t there. Finding the note on the table, she smiled. When things got bad, Grandma Lorelai could always be relied upon for good advice, plus she would swing into action to cover things at the diner which had long been forgotten by everyone else.

Meanwhile, Tori had been left with the two guys of the house. With a sigh, she went to the hall, grabbed her jacket and pulled it on then reached for Jess’ coat too. Out through the back door, she moved cautiously, not even sure if he was out there, and yet it came as no surprise when she spotted him on the porch swing, arms wrapped around himself. He was probably still mad about Jack and everything, but more than that that, he had to be cold. 

“Hey, Dad,” she said as she approached him.

Jess looked up sharply, a little surprised to see her if he were honest. 

“What’s up, Tor?” he asked, trying for a smile and failing badly.

“Nothing,” she told him, handing over his coat which he dutifully pulled on. “I was kinda worried about you,” she admitted, dropping down beside him on the swing seat.

“I’m okay,” he told her.

“Not true,” she replied immediately, throwing an arm across him and curling into his side.

That garnered a genuine smile from her father, no matter how brief. He hugged her close and kissed the top of her head. Jess completely appreciated his daughter coming to find him, caring enough to check on him in spite of the way he had reacted to Jack’s situation. He started to lose control, with good reason he supposed, but still. At least his little girl still loved him, no matter what.

“I’ll live,” he promised, rubbing her arm as he hugged her. “Things are just a little messed up in my head right now.”

“I get that.” Tori nodded against his shoulder. “This whole Jack and Alison thing... I don’t get it. I mean, she seems like such a... a... bitca,” she said eventually, thinking maybe she would get away with the Buffy reference in lieu of an actual bad word. “I don’t know why he even likes her in the first place, and now with what happened today...” Her voice trailed away because she really genuinely did not know what to say for the best or even at all actually.

Jess sighed. “I don’t blame your brother. Initial attraction doesn’t exactly come from the brain with teenage boys, even the smart ones like Jack,” he said, recalling how it felt to be sixteen just a little too clearly.

“But it wasn’t like that with them, was it?” Tori considered, lifting her head to look at her father. “I do believe he really cares about her, like you and mom.”

“Probably.” Jess shrugged. “It happens.”

It stung Jess to think of it that way, of Jack being in love with Alison Forester the way he had been in love with Rory from the beginning. There were too many parallels in the situation. The persistent boy, the angelic girl. Trouble with the parental figures. Dean frickin’ Forrester helping to screw everything up royally. Just thinking about it too much made him so frustratedly angry. Tori couldn’t miss the sneer of an expression he was soon wearing.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” asked Jess, surprised by her sudden apology.

“I don’t know,” she said, squirming because that was a lie. “I mean, comparing Jack and Alison with you and Mom, I probably shouldn’t have. Especially when Alison’s dad used to actually date Mom.”

“It’s okay,” said Jess, even though it wasn’t, though none of this was Tori’s fault at all.

“You think this would be less bad if she wasn’t a Forrester?”

Jess wished he had the answer to that one, but he really didn’t. After trying twice to form words that made sense, he finally found what he hoped was the right thing to say.

“Honestly? No idea,” he admitted. “Raising kids is like a whole world of curveballs. If it wasn’t Jack dating Jolly Green’s daughter, it’d be something else.”

Tori supposed he was right, and took no offence when her dad implied that bringing up kids was hard. She didn’t doubt he was right, and she certainly didn’t doubt for a second that he loved her and Jack to no end. She and her brother had been told on various occasions that their parents had no regrets about having them, especially Jack who was the accidental teen pregnancy. Other kids, even other adults, could be cruel, but the Mariano kids were left in no doubt of how much their parents adored them. On the other hand, Tori had come to learn through town gossip and such just how epically bad the feud between her dad and Alison’s father had been back in the day.

“You really hated Dean Forrester though, right?” she said, surprised to see Jess laugh as he answered the question.

“Yeah, once upon a time,” he admitted, shifting in the seat and making it move back and forth a little. “Now I almost see his point, and that’s what bugs me the most,” he told her, hugging her tighter to him. “I mean, the guy’s just trying to protect his little girl. I get that.”

Tori smiled as they relaxed against each other, the majority of the tension seemingly gone from the situation now. “You don’t have to worry about me, Dad. I know you’re not crazy about me dating at fourteen, but me and Dax, it’s not... I mean, there’s nothing to worry about, I promise. I’m not that dumb.”

“I know you’re not,” Jess assured her, pushing her hair off her face and meeting her eyes. “Smart like your mother”

“And my father,” she told him definitely.

Jess smiled at that and kissed her forehead.

“Go on. Get back inside before you freeze your butt off,” he told her then, encouraging her up from the seat.

Tori knew there was no point arguing that he would freeze just as much as she would if he stayed out here. Instead she just kissed his cheek and moved towards the back door. “I love you, Daddy,” she told him with a smile he had adored since the first moment she showed it to him and always would.

“Love you too, kid,” he replied, watching her go back into the house.

The problem for Jess was just how much he did love his wife and kids. Things couldn’t hurt this much without those kinds of emotions. Not that he would trade all the happy times for anything, but when trouble came, it was tough resisting the urge to bolt or lash out. Rory was right to stop him going after Forrester like he wanted to, Jess knew that, and yet it was still there in him, the need to tear the idiot a new one. Taking one more deep breath of frosty air, Jess tried to let it go. Somehow he had a feeling it was going to take a while, but Tori had helped, whether she knew it or not.

* * *

Jack almost didn’t realise his cell was ringing. It was the flashing screen in the corner of his eye that got his attention. Pulling one headphone free and dropping his book down on the bed, he picked it up and accepted the call the second he saw who it was.

“Hey.”

“Hi,” said Alison in a whisper. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to pick up, but I’m glad you did. Are you okay?”

“I’m not crazy about how today turned out,” he admitted, “but I’ll live.”

“I’m so sorry about my dad,” she told him. “This is the first moment he’s let me alone long enough to call you, and I’ll have to be fast because if he realises-”

“It’s fine, I get it,” he interrupted. “I probably shouldn’t be caught talking to you either. My dad lost it when he heard about your dad. It’s bad, Alison.”

“I know,” she said with a heavy sigh. “But hey, when you think about it, it’s actually kind of cool. I mean, how Romeo and Juliet are we with our forbidden love and everything?” she said, giggling in Jack’s ear. “It’s so sexy and romantic.”

His eyes were wide with surprise at her attitude, but he couldn’t say she was wrong. He supposed it would seem romantic if it was happening to anyone but him. Jack wanted a simple life where everybody just got along if at all possible. Family drama was far from his favourite thing.

Shifting on the bed, he winced when the muscles in his arm protested.

“My arm doesn’t feel sexy and romantic,” he pointed out. “Honestly, it kind of hurts.”

He didn’t want to be a cry-baby about it, because there was nothing manly in that. If Alison was going to make him the hero of a romance novel, he supposed he ought to act like one. Jack just wasn’t entirely convinced this was a story he wanted to be caught up in right now.

“Aww, poor Jack,” said Alison, in a childish voice that soon shifted tone to something much more adult. “I promise to make it up to you soon.”

Before Jack had a chance to respond to that she was telling him she had to go and with a quick ‘good night’ the call was over. Jack looked at his abandoned I-Pod and book. Somehow he doubted either were going to be sufficient distraction to get that conversation and its connotations out of his head for a good long while.

* * *

“Hey,” said Jess looking up from his book when Rory entered the bedroom.

“Hi,” she replied, forcing a half smile.

Neither of them wanted a fight here. They were too tired and it was all too much. They had to stand together when it came to the kids, and when it came to anyone weighing in on their family too. Being at odds with each other wasn’t going to help at all. Jess knew that after almost freezing to death on the back porch deep in thought. Rory knew it to, after venting to Lorelai for a couple of hours and stuffing herself full of mallomars. The worst was over for now and they both knew it when their eyes met.

“Sookie and Davey covered the diner tonight. Mom fixed it up, no problem,” she said, pulling off her coat and scarf.

Jess nodded in thanks and understanding both. Rory found a half a smile.

“We will figure this out,” she said definitely.

“Of course we will,” agreed Jess, his own smile coming more easily now she was home.

Rory got changed for bed and crawled under the covers beside her husband. She went easily into his arms and accepted his kiss.

“I’m sorry about before,” he said, sure she already knew that but feeling the need to make it clear anyway.

“I’m sorry too,” she replied, snuggling closer. “I guess we both could’ve handled it better, but from this moment on, we will,” she declared. “I was thinking maybe leave things to cool off for the weekend, and then on Monday when the kids are in school, and therefore not going to get themselves involved, I could go over and maybe talk to Lindsay?”

Jess said nothing and so Rory ploughed on with her plan.

“I just think that with all the stuff from the past, it might be easier for the moms to broker peace than for the fathers to try it.”

“It wouldn’t be peace getting _broke_ red if I had to be in a room with Forrester,” said Jess, only just maintaining his cool. “I think it’s a good idea, you going to see Lindsay. She’s gotta have more brains than Farmer John, right?”

Rory didn’t reply to that. She figured it was mostly a rhetorical question. Besides, she couldn’t necessarily agree with what Jess said. Lindsay married Dean in spite of how short his temper could be, how fast he rebounded to her from Rory and she stayed with him after his one-night stand with Rory too. That didn’t seem all that bright to Rory, but she didn’t like to judge, it wasn’t her place to. Besides, she was going to have to go into her talk with Mrs Forrester with an open mind on Monday. She hoped rather than believed it was going to go well.


	28. Chapter 28

“Are you going to talk to me at all today?” asked Tori as she and Jack headed towards Stars Hollow High.

Yesterday she really hadn’t see her brother. He was in his room more often than he wasn’t, and when he was out around the house, he barely spoke. Tori had a hundred things she wanted to say to him but maybe for the first time in her life, she kept her mouth shut. She and Jack could always talk about everything, but lately it was different, more so since they both started to date. Tori hated that the closeness seemed to be slipping away, but she wasn’t sure how to go about getting it back in the circumstances.

“I’m not exactly in a talking mood,” her brother snapped.

Jack regretted it the moment he saw Tori wince out of the corner of his eye. With a sigh, he shook his head, took hold of her arm and stopped walking.

“I’m sorry, Toria,” he told her, though she didn’t seem to want to look at him. “It’s not that... This whole thing with Alison, it’s a big deal for me, okay? I don’t really know how to handle it.”

“Try not shutting me out,” said his sister, pulling her arm away and folding both across her body. “I know I didn’t exactly seem like I was on your side the other day, but you know I always am. I just didn’t like you lying to Mom and Dad.”

“I know. I get that,” Jack assured her. “And I didn’t want to lie either, but you know how things are, all the stuff in our parents past with Alison’s folks. It’s complicated.”

“Life always is, in case you hadn’t noticed.” Tori rolled her eyes. “But you being an ass isn’t helping.”

She didn’t bother to explain which parts of his behaviour she was complaining about. As much as Tori had just encouraged Jack to be honest and open up to her she couldn’t quite do the same, not where Alison Forester was concerned. Something about that girl bothered Tori from the get go, and now there was trouble between the families, again. It seemed less Romeo and Juliet, more The Sopranos of late. All Tori wanted was a quiet life and a happy family situation. No such luck.

“How many more hundred times do I need to say I’m sorry?” asked Jack, just a hint of a smile betraying the fact he was at least half teasing her now.

“Don’t be sorry.” Tori shook her head. “Just be Jack. Lately you seem like this other guy who’s a complete doofus, and I don’t have time for that guy. I like my brother a whole lot better.”

Jack smiled maybe the first genuine smile Tori had seen on his face in days, then flung an arm around her shoulders. They continued walking towards school that way and Jack gave Tori a squeeze before releasing her near the door.

“Thanks, sis,” he told her as they parted.

“Any time,” she replied with a smile.

The smile never faded as she watched her brother approach Martha and Alex. He didn’t seem to hang out with them much lately so Tori was glad to see them all together now. Much better than Jack seeking out Alison. As far as she was concerned, the more distance between those two the better, especially right now.

“Hey,” said Billy as he found Tori looking thoughtful on the steps to the school. “You okay, Tor?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” she assured him with a smile, before turning to his girlfriend. “Hey, Tara. How’s things?”

“Not bad. Hey, I like those boots,” she said of Tori’s footwear.

“Thanks. They’re vintage. My grandma gave them to me.”

“Seriously? I can’t imagine wanting any hand me down shoes from anyone’s grandma,” she said before a thought hit her. “But her grandma is your mom, so... Billy, I didn’t mean-”

“It’s cool, I know,” he interrupted, knowing from the look on her face that she felt terrible. “Seriously, I know you didn’t mean anything by it. Gets kinda confusing, doesn’t it?”

“Your family? Yeah, you’re not kidding.” Tara shook her head.

“We really do need to get you a copy of that family tree,” said Tori, laughing because she just couldn’t help it, as they all headed inside to the sound of the bell ringing.

* * *

Rory was not looking forward to this meeting. She chose to walk over to the Foresters home, despite the fact it was a mile from her own house and the weather was not exactly warm. She had hoped that on the way she would firmly settle on the right words to use when she spoke to Lindsay.

It seemed crazy since she had spent most of Sunday thinking of little else. If she didn’t have the right thing to say now, she probably never would, but Rory lived in hope, at least until the house came looming into view.

Maybe it would’ve been easier to talk to Dean, though somehow Rory doubted it. They always connected so well in the beginning of their own teen romance, but by the end, it was impossible to have a reasonable conversation. Since he had been back in town, they had exchanged nothing more than smile and brief hellos in the street. It seemed easier that way, until now.

The only other option was to let Jess and Dean come to blows. Honestly, right now, it was almost appealing to let this whole situation be solved by a brawl, but adult Rory knew even better than teen Rory had that getting angry and fighting never solved anything. This had to be dealt with properly, by grown up talking. Strange that in such a moment Rory felt smaller and younger than she had in years.

A deep breath and a moment to clear her throat led to Rory knocking on the front door. She waited only a few seconds before Lindsay opened it, looking genuinely surprised to see her.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Hello, Lindsay. It’s been a long time.”

“Not long enough,” she muttered. “I guess you’re here about your son.”

“And your daughter,” said Rory, lifting her chin and refusing to be intimidated. “Can I come in or do you want to do this in the street?”

Lindsay made a face but then moved aside to let Rory in. Though it stuck in her throat, Rory did say ‘thank you’.

The two women ended up sat in the living room. Rory deliberately took a chair, mindful of the fact Jack had told her he and Alison were caught ‘in flagrante’ on the couch. Lindsay took the other chair and Rory couldn’t help but wonder if it was for the same reason.

“So,” said Rory, pulling off her hat and scarf and bundling them in her lap.

“So,” said Lindsay in reply, shifting in her seat. “I don’t know what you plan on doing about your son, but he needs to learn some manners.”

“Yes, Jack could have behaved better in your home,” Rory agreed. “But it takes two to... do what they were doing,” she said delicately. “Lindsay, I didn’t come here to fight with you. A fight is the very last thing I wanted, which is why Jess and Dean aren’t here.”

Lindsay smiled at that, she couldn’t help it.

“Men,” she said, rolling her eyes. “They think everything can be solved with their fists.”

“Apparently that was how Dean was tempted to solve the Jack and Alison issue,” said Rory pointedly. “I appreciate that you stopped him from hitting my son, but he never should’ve had his hands on Jack at all.”

“I know that.” Lindsay nodded. “For what it’s worth, he was sorry after. The only reason he didn’t come over to your house was... well, for the same reason you didn’t bring Jess here.”

Rory nodded that she understood. The guys ought to be kept apart, it was best for everyone, but at least she and Lindsay seemed to be able to talk like adults. So far anyway.

“I’m not your favourite person, I know that,” she said then. “Our husbands are never going to like each other either, but Jack really, really likes Alison, and it seems like she feels the same.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think they were in love,” said Lindsay with a smile. “It’d be romantic if it wasn’t so messed up.”

“It doesn’t have to be messed up,” Rory told her. “How about this, I promise that you will never come home to find my son and your daughter in a similar position to how to found them Saturday night, and you promise me that you will never allow Dean to lay his hands on Jack again. I don’t want any of this to get ugly, Lindsay, and I don’t think you do either. The kids like each other, and our collective past is not their fault. We can’t punish them for what we did.”

Lindsay looked thoughtful a moment and then eventually she sighed.

“Agreed,” she said at last. “We should keep things civil.”

“You think Dean will agree?”

“He will when I talk to him.”

She said it like she was the all powerful Oz and Rory let her have that one. Lindsay was Dean’s wife and had been for years enough. Maybe she did have some say in what he did, she certainly ought to have some influence if anyone was going to. Rory had already proven she could keep Jess from flying off the handle in too large a way, though she doubted he would hold his temper forever. If something like this occurred again, there was no telling how bad it might be from both sides.

With the rules decided upon, Rory didn’t see any point in hanging around, though there was one thing she really wanted to ask.

“Um, how’s Dean’s dad doing?” she checked.

“Not great,” said Lindsay sadly. “The doctors say it’s only a matter of time now.”

Rory nodded that she understood, feeling terrible. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s nobody’s fault.”

That at least was true. Cancer wasn’t something a person caught from elsewhere or even necessarily developed because of their life style. Some people were just unlucky and Rory hated knowing a family who were never anything but nice to her back in the day were suffering so much.

“I should go,” she said, rising from the chair. “But thank you, Lindsay, for being so reasonable about everything.”

“Like you said, it’s not the kids fault,” she agreed with a shrug. “I just want Ally to be happy.”

Rory smiled and nodded as she headed on out of the front door. The sun was warm on her face but the wind was bitter. It was much like Rory had felt inside the house actually, but that was okay. For now there was peace and civility, and with a little luck it would last for at least as long as the Jack and Alison romance went on. Rory could only hope, rightly or wrongly, that Alison was Jack’s equivalent of Dean and not Jess. At this point, it seemed it could go either way.

* * *

“And I tried, I really, really tried to be cool about it, but I just cannot like that girl!” Tori complained, piling up the washed dishes with a little too much force.

“Sweetie, careful now,” Sookie advised, wincing at the sound. “Y’know I’m sure Alison is very nice if you got to know her.”

“Huh!”

The response from Tori was not unexpected. She got that kind of thing from her father and it never failed to amuse Lorelai, however much it had once bugged her when Jess did it as a teen.

“Sweets, you gotta let it be,” she said, taking a drink of her coffee. “Sookie’s right, maybe Jack likes Alison because he knows her better than you do, and hey, even if she isn’t so great, no good is gonna come of us telling Jack that.”

“I know.” Tori sighed, turning off the faucet and drying her hands on her apron. “I want him to be happy, I seriously do, but I just can’t see a good side to Alison. She was all over him at school today, in the cafeteria, by the lockers, just about everywhere that her adoring public could see. Jack was probably going beet red every time, except nobody could tell with her face plastered to his!”

“You’re not jealous are you, Tori?” asked Sookie with a giggle. “I mean, your brother has a girl, Martha has a guy, Billy is with Tara. It's all hearts and flowers for Valentine’s day today. Everybody’s pairing off, and sometimes it’s tough being the only single one.”

“Ah, but Sook, you’re forgetting the famous Dax,” said Lorelai with a smirk. “I mean, I personally haven’t been told that he has earned the title of ‘boyfriend’ or anything, but hey, who tells their grandma this stuff, right?” she said with a significant look in Tori’s direction.

Her granddaughter visibly coloured at the remark, coming closer to Lorelai and Sookie, checking nobody else was listening in. Tori took in a deep breath and let it out, then spoke all in a rush.

“Me and Dax... well, we’re kind of dating, except we haven’t actually been on a real date yet, though he did say it was a date the first time he took me to Hartford. Since then, no actual going out, but he did kiss me at his house the other day and again in front of the band last week, and he sent me a Valentine’s type text this morning, but that doesn’t really mean anything.”

“Oooh!” Sookie squealed like a teen, actually physically bouncing in place and clapping her hands for good measure. “Young love!”

“Very young love,” said Lorelai pointedly. “Do your parents know there’s been kissing?” she asked Tori seriously. “Since I haven’t heard that Dax is missing his kneecaps, I’m taking it as read that Jess has no clue.”

“Mom knows.” Tori nodded. “Well, it was implied, I think. As for Dad... you’re probably not wrong about the kneecaps,” she said awkwardly.

“Aaw, he’ll be okay, hon,” said Lorelai, throwing her arm around Tori’s shoulders and hugging her into her side. “Fathers are protective, especially of their little girls, but there’s no way Jess would ever try to keep you from being happy. That would be hypocritical,” she said with a wink at Sookie.

“Oh, Lorelai!” she laughed, flicking at her with the dishtowel. “You cannot be happy that Jess is now experiencing the panic you felt when Rory was a teenager and dating him.”

“Oh yes, I can!” she said definitely, laughing into her coffee cup. “Grandma Lorelai has to have her fun, y’know?”

“Well, Dad doesn’t need to panic about me and Dax. Nobody does,” said Tori definitely as she got back to the dishes. “Yes, I like him, and yes, there has been a little kissage, but I am not letting anything else happen that I’m not ready for. No offence to the previous two generations of women in this family, but I really don’t want to be Teen Mom the Third.”

“And this Teen Mom could not be happier to hear that!” Lorelai confirmed, raising her coffee mug in some sort of salute or toast.

Tori smiled and rolled her eyes. As messed up as her family could be sometimes, there was no doubting it was also a really cool bunch of people, and she was never sorry about being a part of the clan.


	29. Chapter 29

The week passed without further incident. It felt like a miracle to Rory after everything. As far as she could tell, Jack was still seeing Alison, but Jess and Dean had not come to blows. She called that a win. Jess and Jack had also made some kind of peace, though there seemed to be this underlying tension whenever they were in a room together without enough other people to act as a buffer. That was certainly going to make things interesting today, as they all got ready to head out to Friday Night Dinner.

Emily was going to pick up on the weird vibes, she always did, and Rory wasn’t the only one to think of it. Lorelai had mentioned it earlier and both former-Gilmore girls were well aware that tonight could be just the wrong kind of interesting if Emily got wind of what had been going on. Both vowed to have a word with their husbands about the situation, but as yet, Rory hadn’t dared broach the subject.

“Jess? Could you..?” she asked, turning her back towards him so he could assist with her zipper. “ _Up_ , Jess,” she reminded him, when she felt both the fastening and his hands going the other way.

“You’re no fun,” he told her, kissing her neck, though he did as she asked anyway.

“It’s Friday Night Dinner,” she reminded him. “Nobody ever said there was supposed to be fun.”

That at least she knew he wouldn’t argue with. She turned and watched him fasten the buttons on his shirt then pull on his jacket. Jess never ceased to be the most handsome man she had ever known. If it were possible, he only got more attractive to her as they got older. Rory shook her head. As she had just told Jess herself, now was not the time for that. They had somewhere to be, and before they went there, she had something very important to say.

“When we go to Grandma’s tonight, you’re... you are going to try to be normal with Jack, right?”

“Normal, how?” he asked, as if he didn’t know. “Rory,” he said with a sigh when he saw the look on her face. “I’m trying, okay? We’re not fighting, we’re okay.”

“Except for the part where you’re not” she said, hands on her hips. “Jess, I know the situation with Jack and Alison is not ideal, believe me, I get it, but you have to be the adult here.”

“I don’t like Dean Forrester. I’m _never_ going to like Dean Forester, and after what happened a week ago, I _do not_ want my son dating his daughter,” he said crossly. “But have you heard me yell about it since then? No. Have I gone over there and knocked your ex’s teeth down his throat? No. I’m doing my best, Rory, but you can’t expect me to just be normal right now.”

She understood, of course she did. Rory really wished she never brought this up because she absolutely knew how bad this was for her husband. The last thing she wanted was for Jess to be any more frustrated and angry than he already was, but it would be ten times worse if things blew up at the Gilmore Mansion.

“I know this is tough, for everybody,” she said, stepping up behind Jess and wrapping her arms around him. “I didn’t want to make you mad, I just... I’m dreading things being said or tension being obvious in front of Grandma. You know how she can be, how bad stuff can get.”

“I know,” Jess confirmed, noticeably deflating in her grasp. “I’m sorry, I know what you mean and I... I’ll try, okay? I will,” he promised, turning to pull her into his embrace.

“That’s all I ask,” she confirmed, enjoying a good long hug.

Jess went on to be as good as his word that evening. Though Jack was clearly not in a talkative mood at dinner, his father actually did his best to cover for him rather than make life anymore awkward. For their part, Luke and Lorelai, as well as Billy and Tori, tried to keep the conversation moving with other topics, to the point where Billy even chose to tell his grandmother about his own girlfriend.

“Her name is Tara Pressley. Dad actually used to know her father in high school.”

“Yes, I did,” Luke confirmed. “Nice family.”

“I’m sure Billy wouldn’t be seeing her if she didn’t come from a nice family,” said Emily, popping a tiny piece of meat into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully. “Of course,” she continued the moment she had swallowed, “you cannot always judge a person by their family. Do you have a picture you can show me, Billy? I’d love to see this Tara that seems to be making you so happy.” she said, noting the grin that hadn’t shifted off his face since he began speaking about her.

“Sure,” said Billy, reaching for his cell phone and switching it on.

Such a thing usually wasn’t permitted at Friday Night Dinner but since it was Emily who had asked, it was clearly okay. Lorelai shared a look with Luke. Neither could imagine exactly what Emily’s reaction was going to be to Tara’s unique style, for lack of a better term. There was a collective holding of breath around the table as Billy got up to show his grandma the selfie of himself and his girlfriend.

Emily put on her glasses and angled the cell screen just so. She didn’t seem to react at all for a few moments and then she forced a smile.

“Don’t you look happy together?” she said diplomatically, before going back to her food for a beat. “Rory, I understand you had a lovely day at the Cooper house two weeks ago,” she said to her granddaughter then. “It must have been quite the surprise to find that Victoria knew Darryl.”

“Yeah, it was all about the surprises.” Rory nodded. “But Tori and Dax - that’s Darryl’s nickname - they get along really well, and it was cool to see Louise again, I guess,” she said, knowing she wasn’t overly keen for another visit any time soon.

“So, Victoria, you like Darryl a lot?”

“Er, sure, yeah,” said Tori, feeling as if all eyes were on her. “I mean, we’re friends and everything.”

“He is quite the young man to be friends with,” said Emily, laying her knfe and fork down on her plate just so. “You know his grandmother is in the DAR with me, and his father has recently taken over running the family business now that Anthony Snr has retired. The Coopers are highly respected in Hartford and not at all lacking in wealth or breeding.”

“Aaw, jeez,” said Jess, dumping down his flatware.

Rory shoved her elbow in his ribs and tried to stop him from having an even bigger outburst. To think that her worry had been Jess and Jack getting into a fight at dinner. It seemed it may be talk of Tori’s love life instead that spoilt things instead.

“Is there a problem?” asked Emily.

“No, Grandma, no problem,” said Rory quickly. “Um, the Coopers all seem very nice,” she confirmed.

“Well, I can only speak from a musical point of view,” said Lorelai, “but Dax seems like a cool kid. He can certainly play drums like a pro already.”

Tori made a squeaking sound the like of which she didn’t even know she was capable of, then deliberately made herself cough to cover it. She took a long drink of water and looked appreciatively at Grandpa Luke when he rubbed her back and asked if she was okay.

She nodded that she was fine, though in truth her heart was pounding at a mile a minute. Great Grandma Emily knew the Cooper elders, there was every chance she could mention the drumming in passing, and then Dax’s dad would find out and that would be the end of him playing with Anarchy’s Child. It wasn’t Grandma Lorelai’s fault. She had no idea she was spilling a secret, but she had, and now there was no taking it back.

It was a relief in a way when talk turned to the concert tomorrow night. Hep Alien was the main focus, although it was mentioned that Anarchy’s Child would be playing too. Nobody specifically mentioned Dax from there on out, so that was something, but Tori would have appreciated a larger subject change. That didn’t happen until they had made it through dessert and gone back to the living room for coffee.

“You okay, Tor?” Jess asked his daughter in a low voice as they sat down on the couch together.

“Uh-huh,” she replied with a nod, though it was clear Dad wasn’t buying it. “I’ll tell you later,” she promised. “Just, keep the topic off Dax? Please?”

“Deal,” he said with a wink, deliberately bringing up the furthest subject from music he could find.

It meant everybody having to try and look interested in Emily’s long-winded explanations about the Gilmore family tree, but that was fine. Better bored than panicking, or so Tori figured. When escape from the house was finally possible, Tori’s hand went straight to her cell and she began texting fanatically to Dax, warning him about the secret spilling that had taken place.

Lorelai left the entranceway last, her mother having pulled her back from the door when she tried to leave to tell her in no uncertain terms that Tara looked absolutely frightening and she ought to do something about that relationship before it was too late! She came upon Tori with her thumbs going crazy on the keypad and sighed.

“I said the wrong thing, didn’t I?”

“Kind of,” Tori admitted. “But you didn’t know.”

“I’m guessing Dax’s drumming isn’t Cooper family approved?” said Jess, now finally understanding the problem.

“I knew that part.” Rory nodded. “And I’m sorry, Tori, but maybe it’s best that the secret does come out. Dax really shouldn’t be hiding things from his parents.”

“Depends on the parents,” Lorelai considered.

“Amen to that,” said Jess definitely.

Rory wasn’t sure how she was supposed to raise her kids in the finer points of right and wrong with so many rebels in the family, and yet the reaction of both her husband and her mother made her smile, she just couldn’t help it.

“At least the concert is tomorrow,” said Tori as they all got into their respective cars. “It’s unlikely Mr Cooper will find out the truth in time to stop Dax playing with Anarchy’s Child for the big event, even if he gets to him after.”

“Who knows? Maybe he’ll learn to be cool about his son playing drums,” said Rory hopefully.

“Hey, if your grandmother can learn to be cool about you marrying me, anything is possible,” Jess told her with a smirk, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

“You see, Tori,” she smiled at her daughter in the rear-view, “miracles do happen.”


	30. Chapter 30

“I don’t know why I’m nervous. Why am I so nervous?” asked Lane, pretty much for five minutes straight.

She was bouncing around like a bug on a hot-plate, drum sticks clenched so tightly in her fists that all her knuckles were white. Up to now she had been so excited about the Hep Alien reunion gig, but suddenly the moment was here and she felt terrified.

It wasn’t as if they ever made it really big. A one-hit wonder in the Top 40 way back when meant they had kind of a cult status, but family life had kept them from any serious touring and in the latter years the music had taken a back seat to real jobs, careers, and family commitments. That was fine, nobody was sore about it. They had their shot and their fun, no member of the band would change how things had gone at all. When the record label decided now was the time to cash in on the whole band reunion thing that was going around, they set up a one night only gig at a club in New Haven. In their home state of Connecticut, Hep Alien were loved and revered, the place was packed and more people were outside hoping to get in, even though there wasn’t a square inch of room left in the place. Family and friends were gathered too, and the stage was literally set. Now was the moment when Lane forgot how to breathe.

“Zach, seriously, I don’t know if I can do this!” she told him frantically. “It’s been too long. I mean, this is in front of a real audience of more than fifty people, not just the usual friends and family, I don’t... I can’t do it!”

“Babe, chill. We got this,” her husband promised her, grasping her by the upper arms and making her meet his eyes. “You’re the coolest chick who ever sat behind a drum kit. In fact, in my opinion, you’re the cooolest chick in the whole world, always. So breathe, okay?”

Lane forced air through her lungs. She knew he was right. She could do this, she had done it many times before and this was no big deal. All the practices, all the rehearsals. Besides, playing drums was mostly muscle memory. When she sat down on her stool and began, she always knew what she was doing, no question. Lane was being over the top right now and she knew it, and yet she couldn’t seem to calm down.

“Lane!” said a voice she knew so well.

It was a relief to turn from her husband into her mother’s waiting arms. A brief hug from Mrs Kim was followed by the usual stern look, and yet there was love in her mother’s eyes that Lane had never doubted.

“You are going to be wonderful. You have always been the greatest drummer the world of music has ever known, and more than this, you are the greatest of wives, mothers, and most especially daughters,” she said definitely. “God has granted you many gifts, Lane. Do not forget that your talent for playing the drums is just one of many. You will rock,” she said with so much serious certainty that Lane had to laugh, even through the veil of tears that fell from her eyes.

“Thank you, Mama,” she said, wiping mascara from her cheek.

“Come, we fix your make up,” her mother insisted, pulling her to one side.

Zach let them go for a second and took a look out at the gathered crowd. For all that he was telling Lane to be cool and knew Mrs Kim was right also, it was a little nerve-racking to see so many people out there. It had been a while since Hep Alien graced the stage, and it would be impossible not to be at least a little nervous about it. Zach watched Brian take a puff from one asthma inhaler and place another in his pocket. He double-checked his bass strap and seemed to be running through the playlist in his head. Gil was in the corner, cool as always, instructing Shelley on which guitars he wanted in which order as they moved through the set. Everything was ready.

“All set,” said Lane as she returned to Zach’s side, gripping his hand in her own. “Sorry about before. Mini meltdown all over now.”

“It’s cool, babe,” he promised her. “Kind of a big night.”

“Kind of is,” she agreed, as the lights on the stage kicked into gear. 

A voice boomed ‘Are you ready to rock?!’ and the crowd thundered with cheers and applause. This was the moment.

* * *

“It was amazing!” said Tori for maybe the twentieth time. “I swear, I never heard either band sound so good before. You’re going to say that they were amazing, right, Mom?” she checked, peering over her mother’s shoulder as she made some hasty notes.

Rory laughed. “Yes, Tori. I’m going to mention that Hep Alien - and Anarchy’s Child - were amazing, but I think I need a few more adjectives than that or this article is not going to see the light of day.”

They were at the after-party, which was, for the most part, a family affair. A huge room rented in the local hotel had been fully taken over by the combined families of Danes, Mariano, Van Gerbig, et al, with the over-twenty ones sampling the hard stuff and the under twenty ones just high on the music and on life it seemed. Nobody was quite as enthusiastic as the kids who had never been to a concert like this before nevermind played one, but Lane came a close second. All her nerves seemed to explode into a supernova of excitement on stage, and the celebratory drinks after were not dampening her mood in the least bit.

“I can honestly say no reunion gig could ever have gone any better for any band... ever!” she said, raising a glass in toast to herself and Hep Alien by the seem of things.

“Should I mention Led Zeppelin’s 2007 charity gig at the O2?” said Jess to Lorelai in a low voice.

“Probably not a good time,” she replied, shaking her head. “You were awesome, Lane. All of you. And the kids? Wow. I expected something special but that was... well, to borrow a word from my granddaughter here, I’m going with amazing!” she said with a smile, hugging Tori with one arm.

“The Queen medley was an inspired idea,” said Rory, nodding her head. “Some music just never goes out of style.”

“Agreed,” her husband said, clinking his bottle against her own. “Of course, Luke was hoping for Jethro Tull, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time,” he said with a smirk, at least until Luke knocked him lightly upside his head.

“Hey!”

“We teach the kids to respect their elders. Why did that never sink in with you?”

They were both smiling despite the apparent confrontation, which was normal. Jack rolled his eyes at the scene.

“I think the whole thing rocked,” he told the assembled group. “Uncle Gil’s guitar solo on ‘Never Break Me Down’ was unreal!”

“And don’t forget a certain drum solo when Anarchy’s Child took the stage,” said Rory. “I mean, Lane is always going to be the best drummer I ever met, but Dax was pretty incredible up there, especially considering he never really performed for an audience before.”

“He was pretty great,” said Tori, blushing profusely on her so-called boyfriend’s behalf, and all the more so when she realised he had heard her say so.

“That’s good to hear,” he said, appearing at her side, his arm going around her shoulder.

“You were amazing!” she told him definitely, and though Dax appreciated the compliment, he didn’t really understand why everybody else laughed.

“Aaaw, young love,” said Lorelai with a sigh as she watched the youngest couple walk away together. “You never forget that first crush.”

“You really don’t” agreed Rory with a similarly dreamy look.

Of course the moment the girls caught sight of the unimpressed expressions on their husbands’ faces they started to back peddle.

“Not that first is necessary best,” said Rory definitely.

“Oh no, definitely not. Sometimes second, or even third or fourth... Well, basically, first love is great, but last? Last love is better,” said Lorelai eventually finding the right words.

“Nice save Mrs Danes,” replied Luke as her arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer.

“You too, Mrs Mariano,” said Jess, kissing Rory’s cheek.

None of them noticed Lane wandering away, and the rock chick herself was oblivious to both Brian and Billy when each one called to her on the way through the crowds. She only stopped walking when Steve literally stepped into her path, more by luck than design. He was shocked to see tears in his mother’s eyes.

“Mom, are you okay?” he asked worriedly.

“Oh, honey, I’m fine,” she promised, smiling as she pulled him into a tight hug, so tight in fact that her son had trouble breathing for a moment. “You mean the world to me, you know that, don’t you?”

“Sure,” Steve choked out as he was finally released. “Mom, are you sure you’re alright?” he double-checked.

It was pretty clear she had been drinking, and Steve had seen his mother ‘happy’ from the booze before. This was different. He could only assume it was the adrenaline or whatever from the concert, but it was a little worrying to see her so up and yet so down at the same time.

“I, er... Yeah. I just need a little fresh air,” she said, kissing Steve on the forehead before heading for the door.

Outside, the cold night air hit her in a rush. It helped a little, sobered her up some, but Lane still felt overwhelmed and extremely thoughtful. It was impossible not to look back on a night like this, at her life and all she had accomplished, as well as certain things she hadn’t. Out here alone on a chilly February night, Lane was soon feeling the cold and wrapped her arms around herself, still she didn’t go inside, eyes fixed on the stars overhead.

“Hey, babe,” said Zach as he came out to find her. “What’s goin’ on?”

When Steve told his father something seemed to be wrong with Mom, he didn’t know what to think. Coming outside to find her, he expected her to be throwing up from the sudden influx of booze rather than the tearful mess that threw herself into his arms. He hugged her, rubbing her back until she finally stopped sobbing, and then asked again what was going on.

“Nothing really,” she told him, sniffling still as they parted. “It’s mostly happy tears, I guess. Tonight just made me think a lot, about everything, about the beginning of this band, or at least my beginning with it.”

Zach frowned some, trying to recall that day so long ago. Lane was all of seventeen when she joined Hep Alien, and they were far from even having that name then. Zach had always thought his idea of ‘Follow Them To The Edge of the Desert’ was the best, and even now he wondered if they would’ve had more success under that name. Probably now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

“It’s been a long time,” he said eventually. “But the fun’s not over yet, sweetheart. I know we’re not exactly kids anymore...”

“It’s not about that.” Lane shook her head. “Dave should be here.”

Zach startled at that remark, not least because his wife was now out of his arms and walking away. He went after her on instinct more than anything else, not wanting her out alone in the dark and the cold, but her words had stung. He was about to tell her when he realised she was laughing now rather than crying.

“If this is some kind of joke, it’s really not funny,” he told her.

Lane turned around with her hands over her face, shaking her head in the negative.

“I’m sorry,” she told him, getting a hold of herself. “Zach, I didn’t... I phrased it badly. I didn’t mean I want to be married to Dave Rygalski. Believe me, that ship sailed a long, long time ago. C’mon, you know it’s only you I love,” she promised, moving to put her arms around him.

Zach backed up a step. “Then what did you mean?” he checked. “I know I’m not always the brightest guy, Lane, but you need to explain this to me, okay? What did you mean?”

“I don’t know,” she sighed. “I guess I was just thinking a lot lately about how life could’ve been different. I don’t want it to be different, I swear, I don’t, but... don’t you ever wonder? I mean, if Dave had stayed, and Hep Alien made it big... He was supposed to be a rock star too. We all were, and I don’t regret out lives, Zach, not for one single second, because I love you, and the boys, and how things turned out, but tonight just made me think about how things used to be. We’ve come so far. It’s kind of crazy.”

Zach thought he understood by the time Lane got done rambling. He had trouble following sometimes when she got into full flow but he figured the essence of what she was getting at was that things could have been different. That was true enough. In the beginning, he never thought he would be the one to end up married to Lane, and he sure as hell never saw the band going forward without Dave. The twins sure had been a shock, and life had taken a lot of twists and turns. In the end, he was glad he was here right now, happy with how everything turned out. Zach Van Gerbig loved his life, and despite the fact he was never exactly a Rock God or whatever, he wouldn’t change a second of his life so far either.

“It all turned out pretty different to the plan,” he agreed. “But that’s cool. Rolling with the punches, going with the flow. It’s very rock n roll.”

Lane laughed out loud at that, then nodded her head.

“Very,” she said with real enthusiasm. “Very, very rock n roll.”

With her hands to his face, she pulled Zach’s head down until their lips met in a good long kiss. She meant what she said. Lane really wouldn’t change a moment of her life so far, and though some days she felt she had gotten old too fast, tonight she was no more than twenty in her heart. They had rocked the house one more time, both as Hep Alien and alongside their kids in Anarchy’s Child. It didn’t stop Lane wondering whatever happened to Dave Rygalski or how things might have turned out differently, but that was normal, she supposed. She was inordinately happy tonight, and had a feeling this general euphoria was going to keep on keeping on for a good long while yet.

Lane and Zach only broke apart when their kissing was interrupted by music. They were each frowning as they looked at each other, wondering where the very live singing and pre-recorded melody were coming from. One of the voices at least sounded familiar. Moving around the corner of the building, Lane squinted into the middle distance and was sure she could see Tori and the familiar seated figure of Dax on the lower steps of the fire escape. Dax’s cell was emitting the tune and it was him and Tori singing along to it.

“I never heard that song before,” said Zach thoughtfully. “Doesn’t sound like anything in the charts.”

“Or a classic either,” Lane noted.

She was just starting to wonder if maybe they had a secret music writing duo on their hands when the song ended and the young couple both leaned in to share a kiss.

“And now it’s weird,” she said, shoving Zach back around the corner. “We cannot spy on them, that’s... icky,” she declared.

“Let’s head back inside,” her husband suggested. “Our adoring fans are probably missing us.”

Lane smiled at the wording and happily agreed. She looked back just once, as Tori started singing again. She sounded like Rory, and was similarly off key every so often, but that was okay. She certainly seemed happy, and in the end, that was all that mattered, Lane knew.


	31. Chapter 31

“I can’t believe you made this work. It’s crazy!”

Tori was completely in awe of Dax and his musical talent. She knew he was an excellent drummer, that much he had proved in no small part last weekend at the Hep Alien reunion concert, and she knew he could play piano too, thanks to the demonstration he gave her a few weeks ago at this very instrument. Still, she hadn’t really considered that he could write a whole song, especially with lyrics of her own included.

“Crazy is a weird choice of adjective,” said Dax with a smile. “I don’t know, the words you were singing just kind of stuck in my head. First it was a chorus and then there was a verse. It kind of wrote itself for the most part.”

“I never thought about my words inspiring an actual song,” she said, blushing in spite of making every effort not to.

“Well, I find you very inspirational,” Dax told her, leaning in for a kiss. “Was that a little too Disney Channel romance?” he checked when they parted.

“Seriously? How does Dax Cooper even know what happens in Disney Channel movies?” asked Tori, with laughter in her voice. “But, no. I can live with being called inspirational. It’s cool. Not as cool as, I don’t know, playing a packed out night club as part of a rock band, second only to Hep Alien, but still cool.”

“You wanna say that a little louder? I don’t think the people on the third floor heard you,” he said in a mock-angry tone. “You know if my dad had any idea...” he trailed off, shaking his head.

“It’s so stupid that you can’t tell him about the band. He should be proud of you.”

“C’mon, you haven’t even told your parents that you write poetry, and this is a much bigger deal.”

Tori had to concede he had a point. “I guess we all have secrets,” she considered. “I wish I knew what Jack’s was, or maybe it’s Alison that has the secret. Something keeps them together and I cannot understand what it is. She’s playing him for some reason, I know it, I just wish I could prove it,” she said frustrated, kicking the piano leg out of pure frustration.

“Hey, the Steinway never did anything to you,” Dax pointed out. “And I know Jack’s your brother so you care about him and all, but he seems like the kind of guy who can take care of himself.”

“You don’t know him like I do,” Tori grumbled. “I don’t want to see him get hurt, and I know if I say anything he’s just going to remind me that he was wary about you, but he had to learn to live with that, so I should try to like Alison. I wish it were that simple.”

“Isn’t it?”

“No, because you’re not a fugly slut.”

Dax laughed, he couldn’t help it. “You just said that to make me admit I’ve seen Mean Girls, didn’t you?”

Tori smiled wide. “Maybe. You wanna play me the song again? I think I have an idea for the bridge.”

“Sure.”

Dax started again from the top, hands moving expertly across the piano keys. Tori opening her mouth to start singing when the door opened suddenly, the customary knock coming pointlessly after the event. Tori looked over to see Dax’s step-mom, Louise, letting herself into the room.

“Hey, Mrs Cooper,” she said politely.

“Sweetheart, please. I told you, it’s Louise. Mrs Cooper makes me feel like I’m a hundred and four,” she said, rolling her eyes as she wandered over to the piano. “So, I was just catching up on a little online socialising, and imagine my surprise when I stumble across a video from that concert you kids went to last weekend,” she said with a significant look. “I knew you had to have some hidden talent, kid. I mean, you’re good looking, but girls like Tori need more than that, am I right?” she said, with a wink.

“I... Um, what video did you see?” asked Tori awkwardly.

“You know what she saw,” said Dax, putting his face in his hands a moment. “Did you show my dad yet?”

“Did I show him this video of you drumming like a maniac on stage?” asked Louise, showing them a brief clip of said video on the large screen of her cell. “No, he has no idea you were doing any more than watching the show, but your daddy is a smart man, Darryl. He’s going to figure it out eventually.”

“And we thought Gran was going to be the problem.” Tori sighed, blowing loose hair off her forehead.

“Honey, please. Dial down the drama!” Louise smiled. “You guys have to learn to put the right spin on a story. Your parents are both writers, I thought you’d understand,” she said to Tori, before her attention returned to Dax. “If we play this right, your dad could be okay with it.”

“Maybe,” he conceded, “but why would you help me?”

“Because, despite what you think, I’m not Cruella De Vil, _dahling_ ,” said Louise, rolling her eyes. “Kid, I’ll admit, the fact your dad has cash did not escape my notice, but I married him because I love him, okay? As crazy as that might sound to you, it’s true. Besides, I was your age once, and not so long ago either,” she said with a smile. “I remember how to get one over on parents, and how much fun can be had if you do it right.”

“Okay, thanks,” said Dax, nodding his head. “But y’know I never meant to... I never tried to make your life harder when you married Dad. I don’t think you’re Cruella de Vil or whatever, I just... It doesn’t matter,” he said then, getting up from the piano stool. “I’m gonna go get sodas.”

He was gone before either Tori or Louise could blink, but only one of them knew why.

“Teenage boys were much easier to deal with when I was a teenage girl.”

“He’s not so tough to figure out. You’re not the problem, he just feels weird about sharing his father after so long, I think. If anybody’s to blame for that it’s his dad, not you.”

Tori stopped talking when she caught Louise staring at her. Quite honestly, she wasn’t sure why she had said all of that out loud and now she really wished she hadn’t, at least until Louise smiled once again.

“You really do have the Mary Gilmore brains in there,” she said before turning on her heel and leaving the room.

“Mary?” said Tori to herself.

She was going to have to ask her mom about that one.

* * *

“Of course I’m going with you. Who else would I go with? Alex, with the small exception of Tom Hiddleston showing up on my doorstep and sweeping me off my feet, you are the only guy I’m going to go to this party or any other party with, okay?”

Davey rolled his eyes as he listened to his sister on the phone. For all that Martha seemingly had no confidence in herself when it came to social activities, she had come on leaps and bounds since her relationship with Alex turned romantic. Now it seemed to be the guy’s turn to get insecure, sure as he seemed to be that Martha was going to decide she had made a big mistake getting close to him at any given moment. From what Davey could tell, it was not going to happen.

“I don’t know, I guess they’ll go together. They don’t seem to do anything apart anymore,” Martha sighed, now talking about Jack and Alison. “I tried to be nice, I really did, but she does not want to be a friend of mine. Honestly, the way she looked at me when I asked if she wanted to hang out with us at lunch, it was as if I was dirt on her fake Prada shoes.”

There was a frown on Davey’s face long before Martha got off the phone from her boyfriend. She was about to defend her girly behaviour when saying goodbye, but Davey made it plain pretty fast that that wasn’t why he was pissed.

“Did Alison Forester upset you today?”

“It was nothing,” his sister waved away his concern. “I mean, I don’t love that she’s monopolising all of Jack’s time, or the way she looks at me like she’s so much better, but I’m pretty sure that’s how she is with anyone who is not Jack or her elite clique. How somebody attends a school for two months and instantly becomes the Queen Bee of the Sophomore Year - and half the Juniors too - I have no idea, but she’s did it.”

“There’s been talk about her, even in the Senior class,” said Davey, turning off the TV that he had hardly been paying attention to anyway. “The girls don’t like her attitude. The guys... well, it’s all locker room talk.”

“What kind of locker room talk?” asked Martha curiously. “The gross kind about measurements that I really don’t need to hear, or the kind where she’s cheating on my best friend?”

“Mostly the first one, a little of the second,” Davey admitted. “I never said anything before because you know how guys are. Some of those assholes will say anything for popularity, even that they made it with the new girl, who I have to admit would be a decent prospect if she weren’t underage. I’m just wondering, if she’s being kind of a bitch to you and you already think she might not be treating Jack right-”

“I’m almost positive she’s up to something,” Martha cut in. “I know Tori feels the same, but there is no talking to Jack about Alison. He just thinks everybody is against them because she’s a Forester and he’s a Mariano.”

“Then I guess all we can do is wait for the fall out and try to pick up the pieces when it all blows apart.”

Martha sighed and admitted defeat because she knew her brother was right. She really didn’t want to see Jack get hurt but there seemed to be nothing they could do to prevent it. All Martha could do was hope she was wrong and that maybe Alison really wasn’t the nasty person that she seemed to be behind the fluttering eyelashes and boy-enticing smile.

A door slammed upstairs and then the pounding of Jaime’s feet could be heard down the entire length of the stairs. Neither her brother nor her sister had time to ask what was up as she flew by them and into the next room. A second later she was back, what seemed to be a roll of old wallpaper under her arm as she muttered to herself.

“Jaime?” Martha called to her. “You okay?”

“Art project, can’t talk!” she yelled back as she hurried back up the stairs.

“Is it me or is this art project of hers taking over her life?” asked Davey.

“Art IS her life,” Martha shrugged. “She wants to get a good grade, you can’t blame her for that, and this project does make up half of it. I’m just happy she finally seems to have an idea she can make work.”

“I guess its a good thing, but wallpaper? Seriously?”

Martha just shrugged her shoulders one more time. Knowing her sister, whatever she had planned would be awesome when it was done.

“So, you coming to Steve and Kwan’s birthday bash?” she asked then.

“A week from Saturday, right?” Davey checked, then nodded his head. “Sure, I’ll be there. Gotta make the most of having the time to party. Finals are coming up pretty fast.”

“You’ll be fine,” Martha assured him. “You only need Cs to retain your scholarship, right?”

“Yup, which is fine for most subjects. I mean, you know how English kicks my ass sometimes, but Aunt Rory said she’ll give me some pointers if I need them, so I guess I’m covered.”

Martha got up and threw one arm around her brother to briefly hug him as she passed the couch. “I am proud of you, you know that, right?”

“Sure,” he told her with a smile that fast became a smirk. “Being in love is making you mushy.”

“I’m not in love!” Marta denied it hotly, but then seemed to change her mind. “Well, maybe I am. Maybe there’s nothing wrong with being mushy anyway.”

“I guess not,” her brother agreed, still smiling as she walked away.

Davey would miss his sisters, as well as his parents and friends, when he went away to college come September, but he could deal. He always had these people to come back to, and that was what mattered most.


	32. Chapter 32

The morning had been a family event. All the aunts and uncles had shown up with gifts and hugs for the birthday boys, Steve and Kwan were grateful for all the fuss made of them. Of course, what the twins were really looking forward to was the party in the evening. It had taken some fast talking on Kwan’s part to eliminate the adult supervision. Steve would have been okay with having his parents close by, but his brother was determined that at fifteen they could be trusted alone for a few hours. Besides, Davey was eighteen and responsible, all the cousins could be trusted. The only over twenty one that was likely to show up was Shelley and there was no way she would be supplying any booze, not least because her dad would kill her! 

“I guess a few hours would be okay,” Lane had eventually relented. “But if you guys break anything or I find out there was even one cup of beer or any other alcohol of any kind, you won’t just have me and your father to answer to, oh no!” she told them firmly. “I will bring in Mrs Kim to deal with you, is that understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” was dutifully intoned by the twins, and so the deal had been made.

By eight o’clock all the guests had arrived at the house. As expected, Jack brought Alison, Tori had Dax in tow, and Billy and Tara came in holding hands. Davey brought a couple of football buddies with him, and Jaime trailed in behind Martha and Alex. They were followed by Shelley and her brother, Tommy, along with Peter from next door. For a change, Doula was one of the last to arrive, looking a little more like her old self than she had in a while. It was weirdly good to see her in a red dress that was slightly too mature for her, because it was her style and the way she always was before. When some guy wolf-whistled her the moment she took off her coat, she actually smiled.

“Look who’s feeling more like the Doula we know and love,” said Tori with a grin.

“Yeah, well,” her ‘aunt’ shrugged as she came over to join her friends. “One tool is not gonna make me be anything but as fabulous as I’m supposed to be,” she said definitely. “Besides, I know all the people here, so it’s cool.”

Tori nodded that she understood. Nobody here was going to take advantage of Doula, and that was what had her wary these days. It wasn’t a bad thing that she was considering how she dressed and how she behaved a little more, but nobody wanted her spirit to be completely tamed, then she wouldn’t be Doula anymore.

“You want a soda?” asked Billy, getting up to fetch her one.

“I got it covered,” said a voice, as Kwan appeared with a can in each hand.

Doula turned towards him and almost looked uncertain of herself, which was new. She couldn’t say she had been avoiding him the past couple of weeks, but she certainly hadn’t been seeking Kwan out either. Her crazy crush on the guy was still as present as ever, but he knew the same as everybody else how dumb she had acted, how much trouble she had got herself into. If she ever had so much as a long-shot before, she was pretty sure it had passed now.

“Not that you ever need it, but I’m guessing you want the DIET cherry, right?” he said, offering her the can.

“Thanks, Kwan,” she said, nodding her head as she took the drink from him. “Um, Happy Birthday,” she added, forcing a smile as she pulled him into an awkward hug.

“Thanks,” he replied, as they parted. “Good dress,” he said then, before walking away fast.

Tori shared a look with Martha somewhere behind them. Something was definitely different there. Maybe it had to do with Doula calming down a little, or perhaps Kwan was just seeing her differently. There was no way to know what would happen next with those two, but definitely something had changed, and for the better apparently.

“So, rumour has it you guys are becoming quite the song writing duo,” said Alex to Tori and Dax. “I didn’t know drummers wrote songs.”

“Sometimes” said Dax with a smile. “I, er... I play a little piano too,” he explained.

“A little?” Tori echoed, making a face. “Seriously? That’s how you describe it, Chopin?”

“Chopin? Really?”

“What? You prefer Liberace?” she teased, at which everybody laughed, Dax included.

Since he couldn’t think of anything else smart to say, he decided to get his own back at Tori by tickling her. She would have told him to stop if she wasn’t laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe. Unfortunately, the two of them wrestling around on the couch led to them bumping Tara and Billy just when they were least expecting it, the remainder of his soda landing right in his girlfriend’s lap.

“Damn!” she yelled, leaping up.

Tori and Dax apologised all over the top of each other.

“We really didn't mean for that to happen.”

“I’m so sorry!”

“It’s fine,” Tara insisted. “It’s just... sticky,” she noted, wincing as the liquid seeped through her skirt to the leggings underneath.

“Ooh, crisis!” said Doula as she finally noticed what was going on. “C’mon, I have emergency supplies in my purse, we can fix this,” she insisted, grabbing Tara’s hand before the other girl could protest and dragging her towards the stairs.

“What does she have? A mini washing machine and dryer?” asked Alex with a frown.

“It’s Doula, so maybe?” said Martha, shrugging her shoulders.

“I’m guessing more likely another two outfits she can change into, in case her dress clashed with the decor or something,” said Tori, not at all kidding. “Hey, have you even seen my brother since we got here?” she asked, looking around.

Jack and Alison were supposedly coming to the party, but Tori hadn't seen either of them yet. Where as all the other kids kind of came over as a group, Alison insisted on Jack picking her up and driving her to the Van Gerbigs, despite it being only a few blocks away. The others saw them arrive and said ‘hi’, but since then the couple seemed to have evaporated.

“Maybe they’re in the kitchen?” said Dax. “Or outside?”

“It’s a little cold for outside,” Martha noted.

“They could be upstairs,” said Alex with a look that nobody could mistake.

Tori made a face. The last thing she needed to be thinking about was her brother getting familiar with anyone, but the idea of him being close with Alison turned her stomach in a whole new way. She shook her head and stood up.

“Let’s dance,” she said to Dax, putting her hand out for him to take. “I need to not be thinking about this stuff right now... or ever, actually,” she said definitely.

Of course, she hadn’t really given much thought to what the dancing option entailed until she was stood in the middle of the living room with Dax’s arms around her. Maybe she should have waited for the slow song to be over before she got up, but all Tori had been thinking of was taking her mind off the stupidity of her brother and the bitchiness of his girlfriend.

“This is... new,” she said to Dax as they moved to the music.

“Yeah, but it’s not bad,” he replied with a smile, pulling her a little closer.

“Nope, not bad at all,” she agreed, anticipating his kiss and not minding at all when it happened.

* * *

“You always bring all this stuff to a party?” asked Tara, as she switched out her skirt and leggings for clean clothes from Doula’s purse.

“Well, I never was a girl scout,” she said, using the faucet on the tub to run cold water over the potential stain on Tara’s discarded clothes, “but there’s a lot to be said for being prepared, particularly in a party situation,” she explained with a smile.

“Thank you for this, seriously.”

Tara turned left and right to check she looked okay. The only mirror in the bathroom was purely for faces and not outfits so she was only seeing herself from the usual looking-down angle. She figured she was fine. It wasn’t as if fashionable was what she was going for, but she didn’t want to look awful either.

“You’re all good,” Doula assured her, seeing her concern. “I actually kind of love this look you have going on. It’s like vamp meets rock goddess. Good thing I had the black back-up outfit, huh?”

“I guess, and thanks, again.” Tara smiled. “It’s really cool of you to help me out.”

“Hey, any girlfriend of Billy’s is... well, a cousin’s girlfriend of mine, I guess,” Doula considered, making herself laugh. “I don’t exactly have a lot of friends that aren’t related to me, so... yeah.”

“If it helps, I’m not exactly swimming in buddies either. There’s really only two people at Stars Hollow High I would ever trust as friends, but now there’s Billy, and all of you guys. It still feels weird to have so many people around, but I kinda like it.”

Doula smiled. “I guess I should embrace the extended family situation a little more,” she considered. “Well, you’re all cleaned up so we should probably get back to the party.”

“Probably.”

The two girls exited the bathroom together, making way for the next person who was already waiting to get in. Doula and Tara both chose to ignore the smirk on Jake Underhill’s face. Clearly he thought they were up to something in the bathroom, something on the lesbian side of the line.

“I swear sometimes all guys think about is sex.”

“That’s not always specific to guys,” Doula sighed, as they headed for the stairs.

She stopped short of actually going down and Tara literally ran into her back, catching herself on the bannister rail so nobody fell. Doula turned sharply at the sound of female laughter, then glanced back down the stairs. Tara had no idea what was going on and yet felt compelled to try to see what she was looking at, and then follow when Doula went back down the hall.

Jack was hovering around at the bottom of the stairs, two drinks in his hands. Tara had to assume he was looking for his girlfriend. It made her wonder if Doula suspected it was Alison she could hear laughing. She gave chase to the nearest bedroom and stood by as Doula listened at the door a moment. Within seconds, her face turned angry, but before she could say a word or react at all, the door flew open and there was Alison, not with another guy as they might have suspected, but with two of her clique from school.

“What do you want?” she asked Doula nastily. “Looking for somewhere to smoke your pot?”

Giving the other girl a shove back into the room, Doula followed Alison in, and Tara went with because she honestly didn’t know what else to do.

“You think you’re so smart.”

“Smarter than you, Mary Jane. The whole school knows what you are. You’re pathetic.”

Tara watched Doula’s eyes start to burn with anger and really wished she was anywhere but here. Still, when Alison’s friends looked ready to make for the door, she blocked their exit. If something was going down she was making sure she was on the right side of it, and Tara would bet any money this side was the right one.

“Listen to me, Forester, and listen real good,” said Doula, getting in Alison’s face. “You think the whole school knows me so well? That’s fine. I don’t care what anybody thinks of me. I may not be the smartest or the prettiest, and sure, I’ve made mistakes, but you are a nasty, vicious bitch. I heard what you were saying before, I know you’re playing Jack like a fool.”

“You don’t know anything!” Alison spat, arms folded across her chest.

“We heard you say it,” said Tara, feeling suddenly brave. “You said he was right where you want him. What are you trying to pull?”

“Ooh, Drusilla has her claws out,” said Alison with a chuckle. “Look out, girls, the vampire might bite us!”

Tara looked stung though she tried not to let it show. Doula lost her patience. Her hand shot out and tangled in Alison’s hair, pulling her head back some. She squealed, but Doula didn't let go. Apparently Pixie and Dixie were staying out of it, so that was cool.

“I am so not in the mood for this crap!” she said loudly. “I have been through some junk these last couple of months, and it’s given me some real perspective,” she said, more calmly now, but still with a good grip on Alison’s nasty blonde hair. “What’s most important in my life right now, is my family. Jack matters a lot to me, and I will not stand idly by whilst you screw him over. You don’t even like him, do you?”

“Like him?” Alison echoed, an almost evil grin on her face. “What’s to like? I mean, sure, he’s good looking, but he’s boring as hell. I just need him to think I want him, push him just far enough to make it look good. I knew every detail of the great Forester/Mariano feud before I knew the state capitals, and the second I found out we were coming here, I planned to take full advantage of it.”

Before she said another word or gave the chance to let Doula make a move, Alison stamped hard on the other girl’s foot, getting herself free and backing up towards her friends. Doula grabbed at her toes, looking pissed as hell, but she didn’t fight back, not for as long as Alison was yelling.

“You know what it’s like to grow up knowing your dad can’t ever love your mom or you because he’s still pining for some slut from high school? You know how hard it is to hear your parents fight all the time over some other woman named Rory frickin’ Gilmore?” she asked, practically spitting every word at Doula and Tara. “I do. I know exactly. No matter what me or my mom do, we’re never going to be good enough for my father, not ever. So yeah, when we came here, I saw an opportunity. Seduce Jack Mariano, use this big old family feud to my advantage. Imagine how much my dad is going to fawn all over me when I make his old rival’s son the enemy, the one who took advantage of his precious little girl,” she said, smiling triumphantly.

Doula’s eyes flashed with fire. “Oh, did you ever pick the wrong family to mess with,” she declared. “When I tell Jack-”

“But you won’t,” said Alison happily, one hand carefully flattening out her messed up hair. “Because you know he won’t believe you. He thinks I’m the best thing that ever happened to him, and you can’t prove I said a single word of any of this to you.”

“I can.”

Tara caught the attention of all four other girls in the room a little too quickly for her liking, but she wasn’t going to back down now. Doula looked more confused than anything else, until she spotted the cell phone in Tara’s hand. Reaching for the knob, she flung the door open and ushered her new friend out. If Alison realised they had real evidence, she might try to destroy it. Doula had seen enough Veronica Mars to know this had to be handled carefully.

Doula grabbed Tara’s free hand and ran for the stairs. They both almost took a tumble, not least because they were aware of Alison and her friends on their tail. Billy was at the bottom of the steps when they got there, wondering what had been taking them so long.

“Where’s Jack?” asked Tara.

“Um, kitchen, I think?” he replied, startled by the quick kiss his girlfriend planted on his lips before bolting again with Doula, they had Alison and two more girls behind her.

“Jack!” Doula called to her ‘nephew’. “You need to hear this!” she declared loudly.

“No, you don’t!” Alison yelled right behind her.

Tara’s shaking hands didn’t handle the phone so well, but she got her finger to the playback button and just shoved the cell into Jack’s hands. He immediately put the phone to his ear, a little confused as to what he was hearing at first. He was smiling at the sound of a voice he recognised as Alison’s own, at least until his brain caught up to the words she was saying. Then the smile faded into a deep frown. Doula hated that she was hurting him this way but it had to be done, he had to know what Alison was really like. For her part, she looked a little sorry, but not much. She turned away when she realised she was busted, ploughing into Tori and Dax by the kitchen door.

“Hey, where’s the fire?” he asked, almost bowled over by Alison’s entourage.

“Jack?” said Tori, concerned by the pain that was evident in his eyes. “Jack, what happened?”

“I can’t,” he said, disappearing out of the back door before anyone could blink.


	33. Chapter 33

“Do you have any idea how many people are out looking for you?”

Jack didn’t even look up from the ground, just kept on shifting back and forth a little on the swing. He hadn’t even known where he was going when he left the Van Gerbig house. Finding out that everyone had been right all along, that Alison had been using him, it hurt like hell. He felt stupid, embarrassed, and more than a little heartbroken. Facing his sister, his family, his friends, he just couldn’t deal. He bolted, a Mariano family trait, he had been told many times before. He figured eventually someone would come and find him, he just maybe hadn’t expected it to be his grandpa.

“I’m guessing it’s somewhere in the low triple digits by now,” he said, kicking his feet in the dust. “I’m sorry.”

Luke sighed, propping the crutches he had become pretty adept with of late against the metal frame, and sitting down on the next swing over.

“Oh, Jack. I wish there was something I could say to make it better but...”

“But there's not," he replied when his grandpa trailed off, unable to find the words. "Honestly, it shouldn't be such a big deal. It's not exactly a 'Rebecca Lowe is Rachel Turner' situation or anything. I mean, she's just a girl from high school, right? We were only dating a few weeks."

“Sometimes that’s all it takes,” said Luke knowingly. “I know you really liked her. That doesn’t stop being real just because she’s... well, less than honest.”

Jack laughed humourlessly at his choice of words. “Yeah, that’s one way to put it.”

It was worse than that. If Alison had just told a small white lie about something trivial, that would’ve been easy to get over. This was way worse. The whole relationship Jack thought he had with her was a lie. She didn’t love him, she didn’t even like him. From Day One she set out to charm him and use him. Now it made sense, so many things that he could never figure out before, despite his much-celebrated brains. Why Tori never liked Alison, why Martha didn’t either. Why Alison would always be the one to push for more when they got physical, probably even why they got caught by her dad the other weekend. The whole thing was a set up. She wanted to make trouble, cause a major blow out between his family and hers, with her as the poor innocent victim to be fawned over by her doting daddy. Jack was pretty sure he was going to be sick if he thought about it anymore, and yet he couldn’t seem to bring anything else to mind.

“Y’know, there are times when you remind me so much of your father, it gives me the weirdest sense of deja vu,” said Luke then, “but times like these remind me just how much you’re like your mom.”

Jack looked up sharply at that remark. People said he was like his mother all the time. He had her eyes, her quiet manner amongst strangers, her tendency to babble when nervous or ovewhelmed. Today, he would’ve thought his need to bolt would be likened to his father, even his grandfather, Jimmy. It was a real surprise to hear that Luke was seeing pieces of his mom in him, today of all days.

“Rory always loved to see the good in everybody,” said Luke with a nostalgic smile. “It’s how your parents came to be together in the first place. She saw something in Jess, she was determined to give him a chance, a whole bunch of chances, actually, when most people were ready to run him out of town. You definitely get that trait from her.”

“Maybe,” said Jack sadly. “The difference is she was right about Dad. I couldn’t’ve been more wrong about Alison.”

“That’s probably true.” Luke nodded. “But that doesn’t mean you should lose that gift, Jack. You can’t let one bad situation change the way you see people. There are a lot of nice girls in the world, and I would hate for you to decide they’re all untrustworthy wastes of space just because you put your trust in the wrong one this time.”

Jack wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say to that. He was sure Grandpa Luke was making a good point, but right now he couldn’t process. Too much was happening inside his head. Times like this he understood why some people drank or smoked to excess, why Doula had used pot for a while. It must be nice not to have to think about things for a while, but of course, they were still there when you were sober, and still hurt just as much, maybe more.

“How’d you know where to find me?” he asked Luke.

His grandfather smiled. “I didn’t really. Everybody headed off in different directions, all the usual places got covered pretty fast, then I just thought of this place,” he said of the park they were sat in now. “I used to bring you here sometimes. You wouldn’t remember, it was before your sister was even born. When Jess was working and Rory was in Yale or later when she was pregnant with Tori, me or your Grandma Lorelai would pitch in and take care of you. I brought you here a few times. I’d put you on the slide and guide you down, spin the merry-go-round for you, or sit right here on this swing with you in my lap, going back and forth, back and forth. Used to send you right off to sleep.”

Jack smiled at the memories he didn’t really have. He supposed they were in there somewhere but nobody could really recall events from so young an age. He almost wished he could, because it sounded nice.

“I used to tell you all my problems. Not that you understood, and not that I had that many problems, but a little kid like that, makes a great sounding board,” said Luke with a sigh. “I guess, what I’m saying, Jack, is if you need somebody to talk to, about Alison or anything really, I’m here. I know you have your mom and dad, and a whole bunch of other people, but I’m here too. If you need me.”

Jack wasn’t sure if it was Grandpa Luke being so nice to him or all the hurt from Alison just bubbling to the surface suddenly, but he felt oddly emotional. He couldn’t say a word, not if he didn’t want to blub like a baby. Instead he just looked over at Luke and nodded his head, managing the slightest hint of a grateful smile.

A minute or two later, he managed to speak; “I should probably call Mom, let her know I’m okay.”

“How about I do that, let you have a few more minutes before you face all the crazy?”

“Thanks, Grandpa Luke.”

“No problem, kid.”

There was a smile on Luke’s lips that he couldn’t help as Jack wandered away towards the merry-go-round, pushing it pointlessly until it spun by itself. Even now the kid was thoughtful enough to move so Luke could stay sitting. Pulling his cell from his pocket, Luke speed-dialled Rory’s number, thinking a moment as the line rang. He meant what he said about Jack being a lot like his mother, but sometimes when he looked at him a certain way, all sad and lost like tonight, Luke saw only Jess staring back at him. It was oddly comforting really. If Jess could come through all his troubles and become the man he was now, there was certainly hope for Jack.

* * *

Jess couldn’t sleep.

Receiving a worried call from Tori at almost ten at night was startling enough. Hearing her telling him and Rory that Jack had stormed out of the party following the revelation that Alison was the bitch they had long suspected just made it all the worse. They had gone out searching, not just Jess and Rory, but Lorelai, Luke, pretty much every adult available, not counting Lane and Zach who went home to calm and corralled the kids until Jack was found. When the call eventually came from Luke, it was a relief, of course it was. It was tough to be mad at the kid for bolting after what he had heard, especially when Jess knew he would have done the same. He had done exactly the same, more than once in his youth. One time his running from a girl took him all the way to California. At least Jack had only gone as far as the local park.

For now, he was safe in his room, as was Tori. Jess was where he was supposed to be as well, lying in his bed with Rory sleeping in his arms. Unfortunately, sleep wasn’t coming so easy to Jess. He had a burning urge to be doing something, getting some justice for his kid, setting things right. The clock said it was four thirty in the morning. He had been lying here for hours but got no rest yet. At this point, it just wasn’t going to happen. The alarm would be going off before long. Jess and Luke had plans for a full inventory at the diner and a double-check of the books. It had been agreed that they would delay for a week in the circumstances, but Jess realised now he hadn’t changed the alarm, it would still go off. Honestly, he would rather escape to work than face the conversations that had to be had here.

Jess closed his eyes a moment, took a breath. Rory shifted in her sleep, rolled away from him a little. It was an opportunity to escape, and Jess had to do it now. Up out of bed, he silently got into his clothes and left the bedroom, pulling the door almost closed behind him. Carrying his shoes so as not to make a sound, he ran down the stairs. He sat down on the bottom step to put on his shoes, giving serious consideration to what he was about to do. Rory had been trying for years to get him to think before he acted, and Luke had given it a try before that. It was good advice, and he usually stuck to it. These were what they called extenuating circumstances and Jess couldn’t do any more thinking. He had to act. Now.

Getting up, he went to the side table, grabbed his watch, his keys and his cell. He made it out the door and to his car before anybody else woke up. It was probably the front door that did it, maybe the car engine. Whatever it was, Rory was by the window in time to see Jess’ car squeal out of the driveway and into the street. She knew, even as she hurried to get dressed with plans to go after him, that she was going to be too late, but she had to try.

* * *

The arguing had started within an hour of Alison’s return from the party.

One of her friends dropped her off, in floods of tears and hysterics. She talked of what had happened to her, how terrible everything was. Unfortunately for her, others were not going to let her parents hear only their daughter’s side of things. Once Lane got to hear the conversation on Tara’s phone, she wasted no time in forwarding it straight to Dean with a message stating ‘You need to hear this’.

It was hours later now. Alison was locked in her room, probably still crying, though her parents couldn’t know for sure. They had remained downstairs, tearing lumps out of each other on a regular basis throughout the night, never mind the neighbours who slammed angrily on the walls and told them to keep it down.

Dawn came and the fighting didn’t cease. It seemed that every disagreement that ever existed between Dean and Lindsay was being brought up again. Every little niggle, every little barb that could be thrown was dragged to the surface and rehashed one more time.

It was in one of the quiet, regrouping moments when a slamming came on the door. Dean got up from the armchair and stalked over to open the door. He barely got a chance to register who was there before a fist slammed into his face. Lindsay walked through from the kitchen just in time to see her husband sucker punched, and Jess shaking his hand out the moment the task was complete.

“You better stay down, man, or so help me...!” he yelled at Dean.

“Oh, you’d love that,” he muttered, righting himself, but Jess was ready.

An upper cut sent Dean sprawling back into the house a second time. Jess’ eyes blazed with fire as he glared down on the fallen giant.

“Your daughter is a vicious little girl, but _you_ caused this,” he said, pointing an angry finger. “You just couldn’t let Rory go, even when you weren’t here anymore. I feel sorry for your wife _and_ your kid, but most of all, I feel sorry for _you _. It’s been twenty years, Forester! Move on!” he yelled.__

__“Yeah, like you would’ve moved on?” said Dean, scrambling to his feet, dragging the back of his hand under his nose to remove the blood. “Tell me this, Jess, if Rory had stayed with me, married me, had my kids, would you have let it go?”_ _

__Jess smirked so much he actually laughed._ _

__“It’s not even a question, Forester,” he said easily. “It was never going to happen. You were her first love, but _I_ ’m her last!” he insisted, finger pressing into his own chest to hammer the point home. “ _I_ know that. No doubts, _ever_. I’ll bet Mrs Forester wishes she could say the same,” he said, glancing towards Lindsay a moment before he turned to walk away._ _

__Dean made a sound akin to a growl and went to go after Jess. His wife’s hand on his bicep pulled him back._ _

__“You go after him and I’ll call the cops!” she cried._ _

__“Lindsay!” he exclaimed, rounding on her, but she didn’t flinch._ _

__“And if you try to report Jess for what he just did, I’ll tell them you started it, that it was all self-defence on his side,” she said with a determination the like of which he had scarcely ever seen. “Oh, don’t pretend to be hurt, Dean” she continued, knowing he was about to turn on the sad puppy dog eyes. “My betrayal shouldn’t come as much of a shock, not after everything.”_ _

__Despite her tough words, there were tears welling in her already red-rimmed eyes as she made for the stairs and ran. Dean watched her go and let out a long sigh. He really didn’t know where he went from here._ _


	34. Chapter 34

“So, I think that’s just about everything,” said April, double-checking the list in front of her. “Anything I missed?”

“Not that I can think of,” replied Lorelai, making the same final revision of her own papers, the phone propped between her chin and shoulder. “Oh, the first dance. Did you talk to Lane about that?”

“She sent me _a lot_ of choices,” April admitted with a laugh. “Honestly, I’ve barely had time to listen to the playlist. It’s pretty epic.”

“Well, as soon as you make it through, be sure to let me know. The band will want to get a little practice in before the big day.”

“Will do. So, I heard the concert was a smash last month. Rory’s article was a rave review, and I saw some footage online. Pretty impressive. I kinda wish I could’ve been there live.”

“It was awesome to see them play like that again. But hey, you get a private showing on your wedding day. Just seven weeks to go, babe.”

“I could not be happier about it!” April told her, so elated in fact that Lorelai could practically hear her grinning. “It’s so weird because nothing is really going to change after the wedding. I mean, we already live together and everything, and I’m not changing my name, at least not professionally,” she confirmed. “I don’t know, I just have this need to be tied to the guy, which I never thought I would want.”

“You always were a Little Miss Independent,” Lorelai agreed. “But, sweetheart, there is something really great about standing up there and saying you’re going to love your guy forever. Take it from me, it’s pretty amazing to hear them say it about you too.”

“Well, it certainly worked out for you and Dad, and for Jess and Rory, so despite the divorce rate figures these days which are truly scary, I have hope,” said April. “Oh, before I go, how is Jack holding up? Is he looking forward to his birthday at all?”

“Not really.” Lorelai sighed. “Poor kid, that prize Alison Forester really did a number on him. You know how high school heart break can be.”

“I do that,” April agreed. “But he’ll heal in time.”

“I know, but ten days and counting and he’s really not himself. I tried suggesting a party for his birthday, no go. There’s no cheering the guy up. My instinct is to give him ice-cream and watch trashy movies with him, but that’s for girl break ups and I don’t think guys have the same reaction. Jess and Luke have both done their best, but like you said, time is the great healer, I guess.”

“Is the bitch still going to Stars Hollow high?”

“Unfortunately. Which means Jack has no closure or anything. He sees her all the time and despite what she did, the little madam has actually got her friends and allies believing she’s the injured party! I don’t know about Jess hitting Dean, but I betcha by golly wow I would slap that Regina George wannabe in her pretty face if I thought I’d get away with it.”

“Amen, sister-friend!”

The declaration, that was so much the kind of thing she would say herself, made Lorelai smile. It was good to talk to somebody else about this, someone not too close to the action, so to speak. Rory got upset and worried about Jack every time they talked about the situation. Jess got more than a little mad, and even Luke would lose his temper if the conversation stayed on the topic for too long. April was close enough to care and removed enough to have the perspective needed. Jack would be fine, of course he would, but just for now, it was tough to see him suffering.

“Well, now I really do have to go,” said April quickly. “Tell Dad I'll call him soon and that I'm glad to hear the cast is off and all it good."

“Will do, sweets. We’ll talk again soon, okay?”

“Count on it.”

The call ended and Lorelai put her phone down on the table, eyes skimming down the page of notes she had been making for April’s wedding. It was all coming together quite nicely, and such an event was certainly an occasion to look forward to. Right now, with all the drama going on, she needed that.

* * *

“Seriously?!” Lane declared crossly as the stand of music books all but collapsed at her feet. “Not today!”

Rory let herself into the shop just at that moment and immediately hurried to assist her friend.

“Not having the best day, huh?” she said to Lane as they gathered up the fallen books and set the stand level so they could put everything back on it.

“It’s not so bad. Mostly I’m over-reacting. I know if the guys say it we tell them they’re pigs, but sometimes that one week in the month just sends you over the edge!”

Lane rolled her eyes and grumbled some more when the phone started ringing behind the counter. She hurried away to answer it, dumping the books from her arms onto Rory who took them without a word. She knew exactly what her friend meant. Sometimes when the hormones went haywire, everything seemed like a much bigger deal than usual, and honestly, Rory was just glad she hadn’t had that added complication on top of some very real stress lately. It had actually been a while since she could last recall having that time in the month. Rory was frowning, stacking the music books without really seeing them as she mentally scrolled back through a calendar inside her head. Her eyes grew wider with each week she counted.

“Philadelphia!”

The exclamation came as a surprise to Lane, as did Rory’s grip on her arm the moment she returned to her side.

“All things considered, you’d rather be there?” she checked, feeling bemused and looking the same, not that Rory noticed.

“No, before Philadelphia,” she explained, “before the weekend Jess and I spent there, I remember being really glad that...” she faltered, choosing her words carefully when she realised customers were present, “that Mother Nature made her visit before that so it didn’t spoil anything.”

“Okay.” Lane nodded. “Still not getting it.”

“I haven’t seen her since then.”

“You mean...? Oh, Rory, that’s... Wow.”

“Yeah, wow.”

Rory was sure she had never experienced so many mixed emotions in the whole of her life. She could be pregnant. That was amazing in some ways and in others completely terrifying. Not only had she and Jess quite decided that two kids was plenty, both financially and practically, there was a very real medical issue that had halted the size of their family too. Things had gotten messy around the time of Tori’s birth. Thinking of it now made Rory shudder,. She could not be more happy to have her daughter in her life and never once regretted the pain and anguish they all went through, because Victoria was worth every second, but to go through that again, so many years later? It scared her half to death to think about it.

“Rory?” Lane prompted when she was quiet too long, literally shaking her friend from a daze. “What are you going to do? I mean, are you sure? Could you have counted wrong?”

“I don’t think so.” Rory shook her head. “I mean, there are other explanations for skipping. Things have been kind of stressful lately, that has an effect, I know, but... Philadelphia,” she said with a significant look.

Lane understood exactly why she was so shaken up. The weekend away that Rory and Jess had, they hadn’t exactly spent a lot of it in a vertical way. There was every chance they got romantic without taking proper care, and that meant that this skipped period could indeed mean a baby had been made.

“I really need to talk to my Mom,” said Rory quickly. “I… Lane, you won’t say anything…?”

“You know I won’t,” she promised. “Not a word, not even to Zach, I swear.”

Rory smiled her thanks and was out of the door like a shot. This could not be happening! She honestly wasn’t sure how she got from town to the inn. Everything was done on autopilot and the moment she came through the door, Lorelai was aware that something was wrong.

“Rory? What happened? Is it Jack?”

“What? Oh, no, he’s fine,” said Rory, shaking her head to clear the fog that had settled. “Um, I need to talk to you, somewhere not out here.”

With her daughter’s hand clasped tightly in her own, Lorelai led Rory through to the office, telling Michel she would be back soon but not to come knocking unless it was an emergency. Neither she nor Rory heard the reply, but it sounded French and possibly rude. In the office, Rory sat down on a chair and Lorelai pulled another up beside her to sit in herself, then braced accordingly.

“Okay, hit me with it,” she said, her mind racing with possibilities.

If Jack hadn’t done anything stupid or got himself into trouble over Alison, that left Tori being in some kind of trouble, or maybe something really crazy like Jess having an affair. If it was about Jess, maybe he had just been arrested for slugging Dean, though that wouldn’t create quite this much panic, she was sure. It was a blessed relief when Rory finally told her the truth.

“There’s a chance that I’m pregnant,” she said shakily, tears spilling over her lashes the moment the words were out there.

“Oh, sweetheart.” Lorelai sighed, pulling her daughter into a tight hug.

She knew what she was feeling. Finding out you were pregnant was such a gift in a lot of ways, but at the same time, scary as hell. Rory’s first child had been a complete accident and had changed her life dramatically, putting Yale on hold and then cancelling it altogether. When the second pregnancy happened, it was also not entirely planned, but Rory and Jess had been happy enough. The issues with that one came later, with the actual labour and such. Lorelai loved Tori to pieces, but she had been terrified of losing both her granddaughter and her own baby girl in one that day at the hospital. The doctors never said Rory shouldn’t get pregnant again, there was every chance she would be fine with another child, but she and Jess were content enough with two anyway and were always so careful not to take any risks.

“I don’t understand,” said Rory, sobbing against Lorelai’s shoulder. “I mean, I take my pill religiously, I never miss it, and on top of that, Jess takes extra precautions. There’s a chance we forgot about the second part in Philly, I know that, but if the damn birth control pills did their job it shouldn’t matter!”

“Oh, babe, you know that’s not how it works,” Lorelai reminded her, pushing Rory’s hair back off her tear-stained face. “Nothing is one hundred percent. Well, except living like a nun, and who wants to do that?”

“I’m guessing people who actually are nuns,” Rory sniffed. “But this can’t be happening, Mom. I don’t... I don’t think I can handle it. I have two teenagers, a baby now would be crazy.”

“Uh, hello? Preaching to the choir, babe. You were twenty one with a kid of your own when Billy came along.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“Because. It just is.”

“Wow, that’s quite the argument you got going there.” Lorelai smirked. “But seriously, sweets, if it’s happening then it is, and you and Jess are just going to have to figure it out. I’m guessing he doesn’t know yet?”

“I don’t even know yet.” Rory shook her head. “I was talking with Lane and she mentioned that time of the month and suddenly I’m thinking ‘hey, it’s been a while since I had one of those’, and I know there could be other reasons, I do, but what if...? I want to be happy if I’m pregnant, I really do, but after Tori... It scares me to death, especially now. I’m older, and life is settled the way it is, more or less.”

“Hey, babe, slow down,” Lorelai advised, her hands at Rory’s shoulders as she made her look at her. “If you are pregnant, all this stressing is helping nobody. Whatever is going on in there, it’ll be okay. I promise. You have a husband who adores you, two awesome kids, plus me and Luke and the rest of this crazy town - we all have your back,” she reminded her. “If you’re pregnant, we’ll deal. If you’re not and we have something else to handle instead, we’ll still deal. Okay?”

Rory took a deep breath. Her mom was right, just like always. She really needed to talk to Jess, and do a pregnancy test. After that, she probably needed to see a doctor, regardless of the result, but whatever was happening, it would be okay. Lorelai wasn’t wrong when she said they had a huge support system, she wasn’t going to be alone no matter what. Rory had a surprise kid at twenty and she coped. She had another at twenty two and things got pretty scary, but again, she had come through okay in the end.

“It’s gonna be okay,” she told herself. “It will.”

“Of course it will,” Lorelai confirmed, hugging her one more time.

With her face over her daughter’s shoulder, Lorelai at least knew that Rory couldn’t see the look on her face, which was doubtless betraying her fear by now. No use worrying until you knew what was going on, but what else was a mother to do?


	35. Chapter 35

They couldn’t get a doctor’s appointment the same day. Rory thought that was crazy, and yet when she had been asked on the phone if it was an emergency, she had said no. Jess pointed out that if the answer had been ‘yes’ maybe they would have gotten a faster appointment, but when she glared at him, he stopped making any suggestions at all. Honestly, between the harsh looks, the tears, and everything else, Jess wasn’t really in a mood to open his mouth in front of Rory for anything. Telling her everything would be okay made her mad because they both knew he couldn’t promise such a thing. Trying to be practical was met with as much resistance as comfort might be. Rory was a mess and that meant Jess was much the same by association, not least because they were keeping this whole situation a secret so far.

Trying to hold in the truth in a place like Stars Hollow was like trying to keep the lid on a can of worms, but it was a necessary evil. Even the kids couldn’t be told anything until there was something definite to tell. In some ways that helped, because it stopped Rory and Jess from obsessively talking about the possible issues when they were around. Now here was the day and time of the doctors appointment, and there really was nothing else to think about.

Jess had his hand wrapped around Rory’s own, as much for his own sake as for hers. He came off so calm, so reasonable. Most people would have no idea he had spent the last two days together in a state of panic. He doubted even Rory realised since she was having her own constant attack of nerves about this whole situation. He was willing to bet she didn’t know which outcome she wanted any more than he did.

There was a constant stream of flashbacks running through his head, Jess could not make it stop no matter what he did. From New York in the Summer of 2004 to Philadelphia just a few months ago, via various other dates, locations and occasions in between, chief among them the day Victoria was born. Daddy’s little girl, Tori was all the more precious for almost being lost the day she came into the world. It was the day Jess almost lost Rory too, and the memory of it all was indelibly burned into his brain. If he could remove it, he probably would, but maybe it was best he had it still. That reminder of almost losing them, it was pretty good at focusing his mind when the pettier things in life got to him.

Today he had to face the possibility that Rory was pregnant again. That something akin to what happened when Tori was born could happen all over again. If not, then the only other option was one that made him feel physically sick. This was all assuming that Rory was pregnant. The test she took within hours of realising it was a possibility had come back negative. The second test was positive, and so they went for a third - another negative. Two out of three seemed fairly conclusive, but Rory and Jess knew better. They needed a doctor to confirm and so here they were.

If it was a baby, then there was a choice to be made, potential danger right around the corner. If it was something else, that could be worse. A kind of bad that Jess wasn’t sure he could bear to think about, and yet his brain wouldn’t quit in throwing up possibilities in all their Technicolor pain and desolation.

“Lorelai Mariano?” said the lady at reception.

“That’s me,” replied Rory, standing up with Jess at her side.

She glanced at him with a brave smile and he squeezed her hand. He tried to smile back but somehow knew it hadn’t come out right.

“Whatever happens...” he said, not needing to finish the sentence, sure she already knew.

“I know, me too,” she promised, squeezing his hand right back. “Let’s get this done.”

* * *

“I can’t take much more of this!” Tori declared, slamming her locker door.

Kwan winced at the crash, but he didn’t say a word. He was on Tori’s side in this, understanding entirely why she was so mad. Down the hall, Alison was with her two BFFs, laughing and fluttering around a couple of football players. It really hadn’t taken her long to bounce back after her break up with Jack, whilst the guy in question continued to mope and feel the pain of what had occurred. It wasn’t right or fair, but there was little anyone could do.

“She’ll get what’s coming to her, Tor,” Steve promised. “‘What one sows, that will he also reap’,” he quoted.

“Yeah, I know,” she sighed. “But honestly? I’d really like to help things along with this one. The reaping is taking a little too long for me.”

“Doula was pretty gung ho about teaching her not to mess with our family,” said Kwan with a look that Steve didn’t like. “At least until Luke talked her out of it.”

“Physical violence never solved anything,” his brother told him.

Tori sighed. “That’s true, but damn, it’d make me feel better right now!” she admitted. “She just... She’s the Teflon girl! Bad stuff just slides right off her, and I hate it! She should be suffering for what she did to Jack.”

“She will,” Steve assured her, his hand on her shoulder, “in time.”

The bell rang and the twins walked away together. Tori stood there a while longer just staring at Alison Forester. She really, really wished time would hurry with the payback already. Maybe she could help it along a little without getting herself into her trouble, but right now Tori wasn’t sure how.

“You trying to burn a hole through her pretty face?” asked a voice. “Because trust me, I tried it already. It doesn’t work.”

“Maybe a combined effort?” Tori suggested.

Martha couldn’t help but smile. “If only it were that simple. So, Jack is still pretty quiet.”

“Tell me about it. I think he’s reached new levels of moping,” sighed Tori. “Not that I blame him for that, but I hate it.”

“Me too,” Martha agreed. “It’s awful. Alex and me, we’re so happy together, but we try not to be too coupley around him or he’ll feel worse. I gave Alex permission to talk about other girls, maybe try and get Jack noticing the whole more fish in the sea thing, but no go.”

“I’m kind of hoping his birthday next week will cheer him up,” said Tori, as they set off walking down the hall. “Presents and cake are always a winner, right?”

“Nothing to hate about it,” agreed Martha. “But it doesn’t fix a broken heart.”

“What are you staring at?” asked Alison as they passed by her, Tori glaring all the way.

“I don’t know,” she told her smartly, “but I’m pretty sure it should have a warning label.”

“Don’t let her get to you, Ally,” said one of her friends, nose in the air. “She’s not worth it.”

“Tori, don’t!” said Martha, trying to pull her friend away when she saw her arm rising.

She was way too much like her father sometimes, and given the rumour that Dean Forester’s black eye came from Jess, Martha was not willing to risk Tori being arrested for assault.

“I’m cool,” said Tori, shrugging her hands away. “Hey, can you hear that?” she asked Alison and her group then, holding out her fist with the middle finger pointing downward. “You need me to turn it... up?” she asked, flipping them the bird.

They made faces at her display but Tori didn’t care. She wasn’t so dumb as to do anything worse, however much she was tempted. Putting her fist into Alison’s face wouldn’t make Jack feel any better, it would only make more trouble, and that was exactly what Little Princess wanted. Tori wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. She turned to walk away and then just as fast turned back again.

“Y’know what, Ally?” she said, smiling big. “I should really be thanking you. I mean, sure, you hurt my brother, caused a lot of trouble, but in the end, that’s gotta be better than having your family tied to my family,” she said happily. “I mean, can you imagine, a poisonous snake like you in the family? No thanks!”

With that she turned on her heel and walked away. It took Martha a minute before she followed, too stunned was she by what she just witnessed. The grin on her face was enormous as she hurried to catch up to Tori and threw an arm around her shoulders.

“You were amazing!” she declared happily.

Tori laughed. “Thanks. I kinda feel better for that.”

* * *

“Well, what I can tell you, Mrs Mariano, is that you are definitely not pregnant.”

The moment the words left the doctor’s mouth, Jess felt a large sigh of relief escape, and yet he went right back to holding his breath in the very next moment. He saw the same thing happen to Rory and had a hold of her hand again in a second.

“So, the skipping...?” she asked the doctor nervously chewing on her lip.

“There are a number of possibilities for that,” she said gently, referring to Rory’s notes. “I see you’re taking the contraceptive pill and have been on the same type for a while, so it’s unlikely to be that. Another distinct possibility could be stress.”

“Well, there has been a lot going on lately, but that usually makes me a little late. I never skipped one altogether unless I was pregnant,” Rory explained.

“As I say, there definitely is no pregnancy,” the doctor reiterated. “But stress can have all kinds of effects on the body, including weight loss, which is yet another contributory factor to skipping a menstrual cycle. Now, I can perform a few more tests just to be sure we’re not dealing with anything serious, but I think it’s highly likely that it’s just the stress of life recently, or potentially even the changes that come with age.”

“Age?” Rory’s eyes went wide. “I’m only thirty seven, I couldn’t be... I mean, don’t you have to be older, before things... stop?” she said as delicately as she could.

“Not necessarily,” the doctor shook her head. “Usually menopause comes to a woman in the late forties or early fifties, but it can be much earlier or much later. There’s no hard and fast rule on this kind of thing.”

Jess wasn’t sure what to say so he said nothing. Honestly, right now, he was too busy being relieved that Rory was neither pregnant or likely seriously ill. If she was going through menopause that wasn’t cool for her, but it wasn’t something that resulted in anyone dying or anything. Given the thoughts that had been running through his head these past two days, he was all about the relief right now.

By the time they got out of the doctor’s office, Rory seemed to be in some kind of stunned silence. Jess still wasn’t sure what to say for the best but he figured it was safe enough to check how she was doing.

“Rory?” he said as they walked out of the door. “You okay?”

“I... I don’t know,” she admitted. “I mean, I’m not pregnant, which is probably good, but... I don’t know, there was a little part of me that thought it might be okay, and then... well, if I am going through the changes, then I can’t ever...”

The tears came pretty swiftly after that and Jess immediately pulled her into his arms right there in the street. He rubbed her back and soothed her until finally she was calm again.

“I’m so stupid,” she grumbled against his shoulder.

“No, not stupid,” he promised, kissing her temple. “I know what you’re feeling, I do. There was a part of me that thought it’d be cool too, to do the whole baby thing again. I know it would’ve been crazy and maybe dangerous, but...”

“But,” she echoed, nodding her head.

They didn’t need to say any more about it, because they were both on exactly the same page and it showed in their eyes as they gazed at each other. Their family was great, one boy, one girl, both amazing kids. Rory and Jess could not and would not ask for more, but when the idea was suggested that they might be getting it, it was strange how it could appeal, even in a small way.

“Y’know, the doctor said this whole thing is probably just stress,” said Jess, tucking Rory’s hair behind her ear for her. “If it’s anything else, we’ll deal, but the highest possibility is that you’ve just had too much going on lately.”

“Probably.” She nodded in agreement. “I hope that’s all it is. I don’t know why it matters. I mean, we’re not planning any more kids, it wouldn’t make much of a difference, but I hope that’s all it is,” she repeated.

Jess pulled her closer again, kissed her forehead and hugged her tight.

“No matter what, I love you more than you will ever know, Mrs Mariano.”

“Actually, I do know,” she said, smiling over his shoulder. “Because I love you just as much.”

When they parted a few moments later, Jess had his hand around Rory’s own as they walked to the car, and he kissed her knuckles before letting go so they could both get in.

“I don’t think we need to tell the kids about any of this,” Rory considered as they headed for home. “I mean, there’s really nothing to tell anyway, and I don’t want to start talking about doctors and all, giving them something else to worry about.”

“Okay,” Jess agreed easily. “You’re definitely not the only one stressing lately. I’ve been meaning to have a talk with Tori. Pretty sure she’s taking Jack’s break-up even harder than he is.”

“She loves her brother a lot, and it kills her not to be able to fix things for him, which I get.” Rory sighed. “Honestly? I’m just glad she hasn’t done anything really stupid, like say, hit Alison Forester in the face.”

Jess glanced from the road to her and saw the smirk on her face. She was teasing him, and it was a pleasure to realise it, even if she had surprised him. There was no way to keep it a secret that he had punched Dean, he didn’t even try. At first, Rory was mad about it, but in the end, she had understood. Even Jess knew he’d probably done a really stupid thing and was lucky not to have been arrested or at the very least end up with injuries of his own, but he was still glad he did it. No regrets on that score.

“So, Luke’s not expecting me at the diner at all today,” he said then. “I’m thinking you call your mom and stop her panicking about all of this, then we pick up ice-cream, you find some mushy movie to watch, and we see if we can’t do something about those stress levels of yours.”

“Sounds good,” she said, smiling widely. “But you hate mushy movies.”

“I’ll deal,” he promised. “So long as you’re happy.”

Rory couldn’t stop smiling as she stared at Jess whilst he drove. He really was the best husband in the world, even if he did make a big deal of telling her she was cracked whenever she said that kind of thing. Rory couldn’t imagine what her life might have been like if she had stuck with Dean all those years ago, or if she had never gone to find Jess in New York that Summer. All she knew for sure, was that she could never be as happy in those circumstances as she was with her life as it actually had turned out. Sure, there had been a lot to stress over lately, but that was normal for people, for families. In the end, everything would always turn out okay, so long as they had each other.


	36. Chapter 36

“Thanks, guys. Really, this is all very cool.”

Jack was smiling but his heart wasn’t entirely in it. He was sat in the living room of his house, surrounded by brightly coloured paper and all the gifts that it used to be wrapped around. His family and friends had all been very kind and generous today, and he genuinely was grateful for the money spent and effort made. Unfortunately, it was taking a while for him to get over the whole Alison situation. Ecstatically happy wasn’t a setting on his dial right now, not even on the occasion of his seventeenth birthday. At least everybody here today understood that. It had been worse at Friday Night Dinner a few days ago. Gran had tried to make a fuss, and it was Jack’s decision not to tell her what had happened with Alison, at least not right now. He had smiled his way through dinner as best he could and was doing his best here too, but it wasn't easy.

School had been the usual torture of having to sit two desks across from Alison in English, hearing rumours and gossip in the library and the locker room, and enduring sympathetic looks and the like from his usual group of family and friends. Jack knew he needed to grow a pair already and just get on with his life. Unfortunately, that song about the first cut being the deepest was proving to be very much true.

Getting home from school, Jack knew there would be presents and a big deal made by the adults in his close family circle, but now he was ready to make an escape to his room and just mope for a while. It didn’t really help but it was all he wanted to do of late.

A knock on the door was an easy out of all the family fun. He said he would get it before his parents, grandparents, sister or cousin had a chance to react, and pretty much ran for the door. It was impossible not to smile when he found Martha and Alex on the porch, the former of which had a large cake box in her hands.

“Happy Birthday, Jack!” she said happily.

“That’s about the fourth time you said that to me today,” he reminded her as she forced the box ino his hands. “Did your mom send the cake?”

“Nope. This is a Martha Belville original,” she told him, grinning wide. “And it’s actually not a cake per say,” she explained. “I figured maybe your parents already bought you one of those, so this is something different, something special” she explained. “And if you hate it, I won’t be offended, I swear. No big deal.”

“No big deal?” Alex echoed as Jack ushered his friends inside. “Are you kidding, Mar? All the way here you’ve been-”

“Ssh!”

She shushed him with a severe look that had Alex miming zipping his lips shut and holding his hands up in mock surrender within a second. Jack actually laughed at that, bringing the not-a-cake into the kitchen. He set the box down on the counter and opened it up, eyes widening at the sight.

“It’s a marjolaine,” said Martha, still smiling widely. “It’s a layered nutty meringue with praline and cream and chocolate... It seemed like such a good idea at the time.”

“Mar, it looks awesome,” he promised, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close for a moment. “Thanks. I mean it.”

“Did somebody say chocolate?” asked Tori as she appeared in the doorway.

“Martha made a marjolaine,” Alex explained with a look.

Tori came further into the room and peeked into the box. “Wow. That’s impressive.”

“Well, I hope you guys enjoy. We should be going anyway,” she said, ushering Alex back out already.

“Yeah, since you’re not exactly in a party mood, we made plans for the movies,” said Alex to Jack.

“That’s cool,” his friend promised him. “You guys have fun, and thanks again for the...” he said, gesturing towards the box.

“Marjolaine,” she supplied. “And you’re more than welcome.”

When she was gone, Jack stared into the box and let out a long sigh.

“You don’t like it?” asked Tori.

“What?” he checked, shaking his head. “No, I... I’m sure it’ll be great. It’s not about the dessert.”

Tori knew exactly what it was about and she hated that she couldn’t make it better. Telling Alison Forester just exactly what she thought of her had made Tori feel better herself, but it didn’t fix Jack’s broken heart or wounded pride. Nothing could do that, except time. Stepping forward, she threw her arms around her brother and hugged him tight. He was initially a little surprised by the sudden embrace but went with it and hugged her back.

“You’re gonna be okay, bro. I promise, you will.”

“How’d you know?” he asked as they parted.

“Because, I’m super smart,” she said, smiling at her own joke and glad to see him do the same. “Besides, if people never got over bad experiences in love, we wouldn’t be here.”

Jack knew she had a point, he just wished that he would feel better already. He supposed some of it required an effort made. The daily moping probably wasn’t actually helping. Tough as it was, maybe he should try to put thoughts of Alison Forester out of his head and move on. Perhaps today was a good day to start.

* * *

“Oh, come on!” Jack laughed heartily, even as he argued with Doula’s right to make the move she had just pulled. “That’s practically cheating!”

“No it’s not!” she argued, throwing a pillow across the couch.

“You’re both going down!” Tori told them, concentrating solely on the TV screen and the game as the two of them ‘fought’.

From the doorway, Rory stood watching a while, unable to keep the smile from her face. She wandered through to the kitchen then, bringing a couple of missed glasses to Jess who was washing dishes in the sink.

“I feel like it’s been so long since I heard him laugh like that,” she said, caught somewhere between laughter and tears herself. “Maybe he’s finally getting over her.”

“Had to happen eventually,” her husband considered. “It’s amazing how a girl can get under your skin so fast,” he said knowingly.

Rory smiled and wrapped her arms around him from behind. Her cheek rested on his back and she sighed.

“They say first love is the big one, the one you never get over. I kind of get it. I mean, it all feels like such a big deal at the time, and it’s so easy to compare everything after to that first experience,” she said thoughtfully, “but it was so different for me the second time. When I met you, it scared me half to death how much I could feel and so fast. There I was in this safe happy little relationship, and then this whirlwind came rushing through my world, tearing it all apart... and as terrifying as that was, I loved it,” she smiled as Jess dried off his hands and turned around to face her. “I loved you, I think probably from the first time I saw you, though of course, I didn’t know it then.”

“Really?” he checked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in closer. “Because I was pretty damn sure from the first time I laid eyes on you that you were it for me, Rory Gilmore. Couldn’t explain it, still can’t, but I knew.”

“That’s because you’re very smart” she said happily leaning in for a kiss. “We were seventeen,” she recalled. “Now Jack is that age. Pretty crazy, huh?”

“Kind of is,” Jess agreed, reaching up to gently push her back off her face. “Still happy?”

The question wasn't just about whether she was happy in their marriage, it had to do with her health scare recently too. The doctor had confirmed that there was no mystery illness involved, and since Rory definitely wasn't pregannt, she was either headed for being menopausal, or more likely, she was just way too stressed recently. Jess had done his best to get her to relax more, take time out, not overdo it these past few days. She already seemed calmer, which was probably because she felt it too.

“Happy doesn’t even begin to cover it,” she promised, going in for another kiss.

Unfortunately a rapping on the door spoilt the moment.

“The kids will get it,” Jess told her, but Rory was already wriggling to get away.

“As engrossed as they are in their game? Not a chance!” she declared, heading for the front door herself.

Jess sighed and shook his head, going through to the living room when he heard the kids making noise. He told them to keep it down some, but honestly, Rory was right, it was great to hear and see Jack laughing again. Doula too, actually. She had come bouncing in all full of beans this afternoon, telling Jess how her grades were up and how cool it was going to be to spend a chunk of her Summer vacation with April in New York. It felt good to see her so happy too, to know he helped get her back on track. Jess had so many problems as a teen and very few places to turn, at least not until Luke. He was determined that was never happening to his sister or his own kids. They would always be able to come to him with their news, be it good or bad, and any problems or worries they had. He wanted only good things for the three of them, always.

“Tori?” Rory called from the entranceway.

“What?” she called back, eyes never leaving the screen, thumbs still working the controller almost too fast to be seen.

Jess never saw Tori abandon anything so fast as when she glanced up and realised it was Dax that had been at the door. She stood fast, blocking Jack’s view of the screen. He tried to shove her aside and Tori moved up next to her boyfriend, looking seven shades of awkward. Jess understood, because he wasn’t loving the show himself.

“Hey,” said Dax. “Um, I, er... Jack? Happy birthday, man,” he said, holding out what appeared to be a badly wrapped book to Tori’s brother.

Jack looked a little confused, but paused the game so Doula couldn’t beat him whilst his back was turned. He took the gift from Dax with thanks and then tore off the wrapping.

“Huh.”

“Thought it might help you out, in the circumstances,” said Dax, eyes flitting to Jess more than once as he shifted awkwardly from foot to foot.

“Thanks, Dax.” Jack smiled, putting the book down on the seat beside himself and picking up the controller again. “I’m guessing you’re out for a while?” he asked Tori.

“For a little bit,” she said awkwardly, looking from Jack to Dax to her father. 

Jess met Dax very briefly at the Hep Alien concert after party, and it had not been fun. They said ‘hi’ to each other, and then Tori’s father started glaring, and Dax made a fast excuse to get away. Tori wasn’t ready to repeat that experience, and so grabbed her boyfriend’s hand and dragged him outside to the porch. It was a little chilly, and yet that much warmer than the alternative location somehow.

“I’m sorry,” he said, the moment they were alone. “I thought I was doing a good thing, I never thought about your family all being home. Your dad, especially. That guy really doesn’t like me.”

“He doesn’t know you,” Tori pointed out. “And yes, I know, removing you from his sight this fast isn’t helping to change that but it’s awkward right now, and I do want you guys to get along, because you know I really like you, it’s just...”

The rest of whatever she might’ve said was lost in the kiss she received from Dax. Not that Tori complained at all, in fact she got real into the moment for a while there.

“Not that I don’t love to listen to you ramble,” said Dax when they parted, “but you really have to stress less about the whole your-dad-hating-me thing. Pretty sure it’s normal when a girl starts dating.”

“Probably,” she agreed, nodding her head. “But it was really cool of you to bring Jack a gift. I’m actually impressed you found a book he might like that my family doesn’t already own.”

“Well, I’m hoping you’ll be even more impressed with the gift I brought for you,” he said, smiling widely as he pulled something from his back pocket and placed it into her hand.

“A flash drive” she noted, turning it over in her hand and realising something was written on it. “‘Songs by Tori & Dax’” she read aloud. “You did more?”

“Three in total, and they’re all right there in your hand,” he explained. “I think we make quite the team.”

“You’re amazing!”

“Wait until you hear ‘em all, then decide if you really believe that,” he advised.

“Pretty sure I’m still gonna think so,” Tori told him, pocketing the flash drive. “Thank you,” she added, reaching up to kiss him one more time. “So, I was thinking,” she said then, arms still up around his neck, “are you busy this weekend?”

“I have some time,” he told her easily. “Why?”

“Because I thought maybe we could go out.”

“Victoria Mariano, are you asking me out on a date?” he asked, smirking some.

“Well, we are supposed to be dating, aren’t we?” she checked, feeling the colour rise in her cheeks as her bravery wavered at his question, even if he was sort of kidding.

“I wasn’t exactly sure what we were doing,” he admitted, pulling her a little closer, “but since you’re asking, yeah, I’d love to go out on a date with you this weekend.”

“Cool,” said Tori, happily falling into another kiss.

* * *

When it started to get late, Jess sent Doula home with a hug and a chunk of Jack’s marjolaine which she happily accepted. Jack was happy enough to turn in, kissing his mom and hugging his dad before he headed up, thanking them for a great birthday. It really was so good to see him smiling so much and so genuinely apparently. Maybe the worst was over now, maybe he really could feel better after Alison Forester and her poisonous ways.

“I’m heading up too,” said Rory, stifling a yawn behind her hand. “It’s been a long day.”

“I’ll finish cleaning up down here, chase Tori into her room, then I’ll join you,” Jess promised, kissing his wife on the forehead and watching her wander up the stairs.

He found Tori in the kitchen, hunched over the table, with her earbuds in as she scribbled furiously into a notebook. She had been doing that for more than an hour, but Jess had no idea exactly what it was she was up to. Sitting down on the chair beside hers, he craned his neck to see what she was writing. Immediately she realised he was there, Tori stopped scribbling, pulled out an earbud and looked up at him.

“What’s up, Dad?”

“About to ask you the same thing, Tor,” said Jess, leaning back in the chair now. “You seem pretty engrossed.”

“Kind of am,” she admitted, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slow. “I, er... Well, here,” she said eventually, shoving her notebook into Jess’ hands.

It was weird. Whenever she gave over her essays or reports for him to read, Tori was always confident that he would like what he saw. Her father was a great writer himself, a writer of novels, unlike her mom who was the journalist of the family. Still, they were both great at what they did, and always assured Tori that she too had a real knack for the written word. The trouble was, this was no story or article that Tori had penned, this was the one kind of writing that her dad claimed not to get, except in certain exceptional circumstances. This was poetry.

Jess spent a long time reading what Tori had been writing, then he turned the pages back and read another poem and another. His eyes seemed to grow wider all the time, and Tori was waiting for them to roll clean out of his head any moment. After five minutes that felt like an hour, she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Well? What do you think?”

“What do I think?” echoed Jess. “I think this is incredible. Tor, you’ve got a real talent here.”

“You think?” she asked, smiling widely, letting out that breath she had been holding for way too long. “I mean, Dax thought they were cool, but the thought occurred that maybe he was just saying that, and even if he meant it, he’s not a writer or anything, he doesn’t necessarily know what he’s talking about,” she said all in that adorable rambling rush that was her mother, pure and simple. “But they’re good?”

“They’re good,” Jess confirmed. “I told you, they’re incredible, but what I don’t get is why I had no idea this book existed,” he said, placing it back on the table and making his daughter look at him. “Tor?”

They used to share everything, and though Jess understood that as teenagers kids liked to keep some stuff to themselves, he never thought it'd happen to him and Tori.

“I didn’t wanna tell you,” she admitted, trying to put her eyes anywhere but on her father who stared at her intently as she gave her explanation. “You always said most poetry was pointless and stupid. I only ever heard you say good things about Ginsberg and maybe a couple of others. I really thought... I thought if you read the kind of stuff I wrote you’d think it was lame and a waste of time.”

She was muttering and mumbling by the end, eyes downcast, looking like she felt just so stupid for saying what she was saying. From Rory to Jess in less than sixty seconds.

“I’m an asshole,” he said, one hand rubbing his forehead.

Tori looked up sharply at her father’s words, a questioning look on her face when his hand came away from his head and he saw her staring.

“Tor, I’m sorry,” he told her. “I’m really sorry that you ever felt you had to hide your talent from me. I’m... I’m an asshole,” he berated himself a second time, slamming his fist against the table for good measure.

“No, you’re not,” his daughter promised him. “You’re not a bad person, Dad, I swear. I’m the idiot for thinking you’d be anything but supportive about what I want to do with my life.”

“With your life?” he questioned, not quite following.

“Well, you know I never knew what I wanted to do when I grew up or whatever,” Tori explained. “Teachers keep telling me how smart I am, how I could be a doctor, a lawyer, a scientist, a world leader, whatever. I never felt like any of those were for me, but I love to write. I love to write poetry and I know that’s not necessarily a career, but lyricists make some money. See, these all started out as just poems, but... well, Dax writes songs, or music at least. He’s not so good with the words, but I am,” she explained, offering her ear buds to Jess.

He took them and popped them in his ears as Tori hit the button on her phone. A few moments later, Jess heard an amateur mix of a piano playing, a drum beat, some synched in guitars, and a young male voice singing, which he presumed to be Dax. The words he recognised from one of the poems he just read, and the melody wasn’t half bad either.

The smile that spread across Jess’ lips proved to Tori he was impressed, but she got real confirmation when the song ended and he told her just how amazing she really was.

“I’m floored by this,” he admitted. “All of this,” he said, fingers at the edge of Tori’s notebook. “C’mere, kid,” he said, encouraging her to come get a hug from him.

Tori went happily into his arms and smiled as he held her tight.

“I’m so glad you don’t hate this.”

“Of course I don’t hate it. I love it,” he promised her, moving to look her in the eye. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Daddy,” she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “And I should probably be heading for bed right about now,” she noted, spotting the time on the clock over his shoulder.

“Probably,” he agreed, watching her gather up her things to go. “Goodnight, Tor.”

“’Night, Dad!” she called as she headed for the stairs.

Jess leaned back in the chair and ran a hand over his face. His kids, much like his wife, never failed to amaze him. He really hoped that never changed.


	37. Chapter 37

Davey was so deep into his books, he really didn’t hear his name being called, albeit in a low voice, into the stacks of the library. Nobody was even supposed to know he was up here. His buddies on the football team weren’t exactly into the whole studying thing as a rule, especially not in an obvious way, but Davey knew he really had to get his head down. If he didn’t do well enough in his finals, well, he didn’t even like to think about what that would mean. His scholarship was riding on his getting at least Cs across the board, as well as proving himself at his sport. He had most of his subjects covered, but right now history was kicking his butt and he needed to read over the facts a couple more times if they were ever going to stick. Back of the library seemed like a good place to spend an hour after classes, cramming as much knowledge as he could, away from prying eyes. Apparently somebody figured out where he was and came looking.

“Jaime?” he frowned on realising it was his little sister who was trying to track him down. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

“It’s a school library, and I go to this school,” she reminded him, rolling her eyes. “I need ten dollars.”

“And I’m an ATM now?” said Davey, closing his book and staring at her.

“Davey, please!” she urged him. “It’s important.”

At her pleading looks and tone, his eyes narrowed.

“Are you in trouble?” he asked, even as he reached into his back pocket. “’Cause if this is going to pay off some bully or buy you some cigarettes-”

“Do you even know me at all?” she checked, rolling her eyes. “It’s for art supplies.”

“More art supplies.” Davey nodded. “Of course it is. Because you don’t have enough of those already,” he muttered, knowing she wasn’t listening anyway as he handed over a couple of bills. “Here, but don’t ask me for any more, okay? Since Dad wants me to study instead of work right now, I’m running a little short.”

“You’ll get this back soon, I promise.” Jaime grinned. “Thanks, Davey!” she called as she pelted from the library.

Davey smiled and shook his head. Of all the crazy people in his life, his little sister might be the craziest, but he loved her to pieces and wouldn’t have her any other way, that much he knew for sure. Settling back in his chair, he opened up his history book again and got back to reading. He made it through a whole two paragraphs before a clattering beyond the shelves got his attention.

“What does it take to get some peace around here?” he said to himself, getting up to go and investigate.

Through the stacks, he saw an arm, a head, and then heard laughter. Just as Davey started to realise that he had stumbled upon a couple looking for a little privacy and decided to leave them be, they came stumbling out from behind the shelves and spotted him. Billy dragged the back of his hand across his mouth that was stained with Tara’s lipgloss whilst she turned three shades of pink that were easily seen on her pale skin.

“Hey, man,” said Billy awkwardly.

“Hi,” Davey greeted them both with a smile. “You do know what happened to the last couple that tried to find some privacy back here, right? Miss Sheindlin really doesn’t like that kind of thing in her library,” he told them, folding his arms across his chest.

“My Dad is at my house and Billy’s mom is at his place.” Tara sighed.

“The diner apartment is out since my parents found out we were dating, and outside, it’s raining,” her boyfriend supplied. “Besides, we can only get in trouble if we get caught,” he said, gripping Tara’s hand in his own and grinning.

She giggled and hid her face in his shoulder.

They were awfully cute, or so Davey might have said if he didn’t want to come off like a girl. It was cool that they were happy and everything, but he really didn’t want them to get busted.

“Can’t you wait until later and go to the movies or whatever?” he asked them. “That’s what the back row was built for.”

“I’m working later.” Billy sighed. “And I’m supposed to have my homework done before that. If I’m not home by four thirty today my mom is gonna be pissed.”

“Which means we have to go anyway,” said Tara, showing her boyfriend the watch at his wrist that was showing four fifteen already.

“Damn!” he cursed. “C’mon, let’s go. See ya, Davey.”

Davey raised his hand in a silent wave, then backed up towards his place from before when he realised Miss Sheindlin was glaring already, hands on hips and eyes flashing fire. For a woman of at least sixty and no more than five feet tall, she could be very scary when she wanted to be.

“Okay,” said Davey as he settled back down to read, locating his place in the book.

He maybe got through two whole pages this time before the next interruption came. Honestly, Davey was about ready to give up, go home, and just fail history, because it would be easier than all this hassle. His cell ringing in his pocket, albeit on vibrate, stopped Davey from reading any further. Apparently it was Martha calling, so he answered immediately, asking if everything was okay.

“I think so,” she told him. “I was just wondering if you’d seen, Jack? Also, why are you whispering?” she asked.

“Because I’m in the library,” he told her, as loud as he dare. “And no, I haven’t seen Jack. He was in school today, right?”

“Yeah, he was,” she confirmed. “But Alison wasn’t, and then last period Jack had a free but we were supposed to meet in the diner but he didn’t show. I checked at his house, at the Van Gerbig place, everywhere. He’s just not around, and his cell is going straight to voicemail.”

Davey didn’t know what to think. Alison not being in school could be a good thing. Maybe the Foresters had left town again, though that seemed like wishful thinking somehow. He couldn’t imagine for a second that wherever she had gone was where Jack would be. That bitch hurt him way too much for him to be so dumb.

“You want me to help you look for him?” Davey asked his sister, closing up the book and shoving it in his bag. “’Cause I don’t think I’m gonna get anymore studying done anyway.”

“Thanks, Davey” said Martha with a smile he could hear. “Let me know if you find him?”

“Will do,” he promised, hanging up the phone and heading out. “Why can’t people just let me alone for five minutes?”

* * *

“Huh.”

Tori was evidentially surprised when she found her brother in the cemetery. It wasn’t really a place she thought to look for him. Now that the rain had stopped, she just intended to stop in on the way past and leave some flowers for Mrs R. Instead of the usual empty space in front of the dear old lady’s headstone, she found Jack sitting, looking more than a little lost somehow.

“Hey, Toria,” he greeted her with a smile that didn’t come out at all right.

He got to his feet, brushing dirt off his backside and picking up his book bag.

“Hey,” she replied. “I didn’t know you came here.”

“Sometimes,” he admitted. “You too, huh?”

“It’s a semi-regular arrangement.” 

“Huh.”

Jack watched as Tori placed her flowers on Mrs R’s grave, her hand brushing over the lettering on the headstone as she stood straight again. Maria Louisa Rossini, always in our hearts, it said, along with the dates that proved she lived a long full life. Thanks to the people of Stars Hollow, she had said, it was a happier one in the end than she could have ever hoped for.

“She’s still a good listener.”

“Yeah,” Jack agreed. “And it’s not just because she’s not here to interrupt. Even when she was alive, she just... she seemed to understand so much, and even when she didn’t really get it or couldn’t help, it just felt better to tell her stuff.”

Tori smiled, knowing he was saying just exactly her own thoughts. Swallowing hard to stop the tears from coming, she stepped in closer to Jack and put an arm around his back.

“I can listen too,” she reminded him. “What’s going on, Jack?”

Her brother took a deep breath and let it out loudly.

“Alison’s grandfather died today,” he said, staring at Mrs R’s headstone still. “It’s why she wasn’t in school. She called me, right before classes got out, crying her heart out.”

“I didn’t know she had one,” said Tori bitterly, feeling bad the moment she saw the way Jack was looking at her. “I care that her grandpa died. That’s not something you wish on anybody,” she said definitely, remembering the pain of her own loss, not so long ago, “but just because I have a little sympathy for a family that lost a loved one does not mean that I suddenly like them. They hurt my family, and that’s priority one with me.”

Jack smiled at her fierce loyalty, pulling his sister close and kissing the top of her head.

“I love you, Toria,” he told her. “You know that, right?”

“Sure,” she assured him. “Love you too,” she said with a smile. “Y’know Martha is having a meltdown because we couldn’t find you... again.”

“Oh, damn it!” he cursed, face-palming for good measure. “I’m sorry, I forgot I was supposed to meet her.”

“You might wanna call her before she completely blows a fuse,” Tori advised. “She already has half the town out looking for you... again.”

“Okay, I got it,” he told her, playfully shoving her aside and pulling out his cell to make the call. “I’ll try not to disappear again for a while, okay?”

“Promise?” Tori checked.

“Promise,” her brother assured her.

* * *

When Tori got home, she found her parents having a pretty serious conversation. It didn’t take much figuring out to know what they were talking about.

“You heard about Mr Forester,” she said, a statement not a question.

“News travels fast in the Hollow,” said Jess, as Rory wiped at her eyes with the back of one hand.

“I don’t even know why I’m crying,” she admitted as Tori came over to give her mom a hug. “It’s so many years since I even said ‘hello’ to the guy.”

“Because you’re a good person, Ror, and you used to get along with Forester's folks.” her husband reminded her. “Just because Dean has been an asshole and his daughter isn’t exactly an angel, doesn’t mean the old man deserved to die.”

“Alison called Jack to tell him what happened,” Tori confessed, feeling like her parents should know something like that. “I found him in town and we talked. He’s fine, just feeling a little mixed up, I think.”

“More than a little,” Jack said himself as he came in through the door. “But I’m fine.”

“You sure, son?” asked Jess, seeing how affected Jack looked by what had happened today.

“It’s not cool hearing somebody you cared about cry that hard,” he admitted, shrugging his shoulders, “but it doesn’t change anything. Alison used me, and I can’t forget that. I feel bad for her family, but that’s all. I don’t wanna see her, I don’t... I’m not interested.”

Jess nodded that he understood and Rory moved to hug her son, as much for her own sake as for his. She felt badly for the Foresters, of course she did. It was awful when anyone died, because it always meant pain and heartache for somebody. Part of her pain was her own though, as all of this dragged up the agony of her own grandfather’s death. Even after this many years, it still stung to be reminded sometimes. She figured it always would in some way or other.

The kids both went upstairs to do their homework and such, leaving Rory and Jess alone. She looked less like she wanted to cry and more generally distracted by now. He wished he knew what to do to make her feel better, but there didn’t seem to be anything.

“I feel so useless,” said Rory eventually. “Like I should be doing something, but there’s nothing,” she sighed, shaking her head.

“Maybe there’s something,” said Jess, unsure why he was even suggesting this but going with it anyway. “We could go get some flowers and head over to the Foresters, pay our respects?”

“Jess...”

“What? A man is dead, Rory. You think there’s a better time to make peace than this?”

Maybe he had a point. The very fact that Jess was talking about making peace with Dean meant a miracle had to be occurring, at least Rory thought so. In a moment of high emotion like this there was every chance Dean would react badly to seeing the two of them, and yet there was just as much of a possibility that the death of his father would make Dean appreciate what he had and accept the ridiculous situation of their past love and their kids entanglement for what it was.

“Okay,” she said eventually, nodding slowly. “Let’s go.”

* * *

“We’re not here to make trouble,” said Jess the moment the door opened.

They were at the Foresters house, the one where Dean used to live with his parents and sisters so many years ago. It was common knowledge in town by now that the elder Mr Forester had died and that the family were all gathered at his home. The only surprise was that Dean hadn’t answered the door.

“Rory,” she smiled a watery smile, reaching out for a hug.

“I’m so sorry, Clara,” her old friend told her as they held each other a moment. “I honestly am.”

“You were always so nice,” said Clara through a veil of tears. “Fixed the crazy hair, huh, Jess?” she said then, making a joke from so long ago, he barely remembered.

“It’s been a long time, munchkin,” he replied in kind, wondering how that annoying little kid had grown up into a woman and seemingly so fast. “Sorry for your loss.”

“We knew it was coming,” she said bravely. “At least he’s not suffering anymore.”

Jess nodded his understanding and handed over the lillies he and Rory had bought on the way over. Clara took them with thanks and then moved back from the door.

“Come in,” she urged them.

With a deep breath, Rory crossed the threshold, feeling so very strange about being here after so long, with all the water that had gone under the bridge. Of course she could feel no more strange than Jess. He had never once entered this house before and felt very odd about doing so now, in these circumstances. Still, this had been his idea, and he wouldn’t abandon Rory when she needed him, not now, not ever. Taking her hand in his own, Jess and Rory followed Clara into what turned out to be the dining room, finding Dean and Lindsay sat at the table with what had to be the elder Mrs Forester.

“Rory,” she smiled at the sight of her. “How kind of you to come.”

“We just wanted to say we’re sorry for your loss. Mr Forester was always so kind and decent, even after...”

She couldn’t go on and Jess wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

“Thank you,” said Lindsay when Mrs Forester could not do so for all the tears she was crying. “It was good of you to come.”

Dean hadn’t turned around yet nor said a word. His back was to the visitors and seemed like it was going to stay that way. Heaven only knew where Alison was and Jess didn’t feel like asking. He just wanted to say what needed to be said and go already.

“Look, we came here because we wanted to say... well, we’re sorry for your loss, and we don’t want any more fighting, okay? The past is the past, it’s done. This kind of thing, loss like this, it should teach us all something,” he said, shaking his head. “Life is too short for this crap.”

“Spoken like a true author.”

“Dean!” Lindsay admonished her husband the moment he grumbled those words. “Can’t you just let it go? Please?”

It was amazing to Jess that she was still with him, even now. Still trying her best to make her marriage work, to make Forester a better man if she could. She really must love him, that was for sure. Nobody could be so desperate to affect change in a person if they didn’t.

With a deep sigh, Dean pushed his chair back and stood up. Somehow he didn’t seem quite his full twelve foot tall self anymore, Jess realised. The guy had red-rimmed eyes and the look of a man that hadn’t slept for a week. With one hand, Dean pushed his hair back out of his face and then stared down at Jess and Rory in turn.

“Everything has to end somewhere, I guess,” he said eventually.

“You just gotta know when to let go, I guess,” Jess replied, holding out his hand to Dean to shake.

A month ago, the last time they had stood toe-to-toe like this, he had been striking out with a fist, leaving his old enemy with a bloody nose, plus a pair of black eyes from what he heard later. Now he was extending a hand of, well, not friendship exactly, but certainly of peace. Jess was tired of fighting, tired of holding a grudge, of allowing the poison of old battles to seep into his family all the time. He was done with it, and he hoped Dean would see sense and agree. He certainly seemed to take long enough to consider it.

Rory audibly gasped when she saw her ex take a hold of her husband’s hand and shake. It had been a very long time coming, but finally it seemed like there might be peace.


	38. Chapter 38

When Rory woke, she found Jess already sitting up in bed with a book in his hand. He had gotten so used to being an early riser for the diner, it was rare that he slept in even when he could. Rory was well used to finding him already busy writing, reading, or absent from the bed altogether because he was packing lunches for the kids or fixing something around the house. It amused her still that he was such a morning person. She had never learnt to be that way, even after all these years, and much like her mother required multiple alarms if she had to be up early.

“Morning, handsome man,” she said, when staring at him for a couple of minutes did no good - he was just too engrossed in the book.

“Hey, beautiful,” he replied with a smile, leaning down to kiss her. “You sleep better last night?”

“I did,” she said, shifting closer to her husband.

Jess put the book down and wrapped his arms round Rory, kissing the top of her head. So much for easing her stress levels, this past week had not been good for her. The death of Forester’s father dragged up all the pain of her grandfather’s passing, as well as the loss of Mrs R in a way. It was weird how you never completely got over those kind of tragedies, how the sadness could creep up on you when you least expected it. There had been more than one random crying jag in the Mariano house in the last few days. At least now, the day after Mr Forester's funeral, they could start to move on.

It was a good thing that it had all happened so fast, Jess thought. Since the old mam knew he was on the way out, he had put in place all the arrangements for his final send off. The funeral took next to no real planning from what the townsfolk had been saying, and it was a decent respectable ceremony from what Jess saw of it.

As bad as it was of him to think so, Jess was kind of glad Mr Forester was laid to rest already. In part, his reasons were sympathetic. Better for the poor guy to be at peace than suffering indefinitely. The other reasons were selfish, and Jess didn’t mind knowing that. Dean and Lindsay had no plans to stick around in the Hollow now that their purpose for coming back was done. They were headed back to wherever the hell they had come from a few months earlier, taking their bitchy little princess with them. Just as soon as the school year was done, they'd be gone. For Jack’s sake more than anyone else’s, Jess was glad.

“Hmm, you think anybody would notice if we just didn’t get up today?” asked Rory, clinging to Jess.

“Probably,” he replied, meaning to say more but getting altogether distracted when his wife started to plant kisses on his chest. “Ror,” he groaned as he felt her hand slip beneath the covers.

“You don’t have anywhere to be right now, do you?” she asked, pausing in her ministrations to glance up at him with one eyebrow raised. “Something better to do than this?”

Jess’ eyes strayed to the clock just for a second. The kids wouldn’t be out of bed for another half hour at least, and he really didn’t need to be anywhere specific. Besides, it had been a while, and even if it hadn’t, he would be a fool to refuse her.

“And they always said I was the bad influence on you,” he said with a smirk, crashing is lips against hers before she could make any kind of smart reply.

Rory only giggled against his mouth, and then lost all sense of reality in the best way as Jess’ hands ran over her skin. Maybe it was worth waking up early, just sometimes.

* * *

It was an hour later that Rory and Jess finally got out of bed, both smiling widely. Getting dressed, they headed for the stairs and almost literally ran into Jack at the top.

“I can’t find my watch.”

“Good morning to you too, and where’d you have it last?” asked Rory, half-expecting the ‘I don’t know’ response before it ever came. “Okay, let’s start with the obvious places,” she said, turning her son around and ushering him back towards his room.

“I’ll make a start on breakfast,” said Jess, running down the stairs to do just that.

Checking the fridge and the cupboards, he was glad to find everything he needed. Before long there was bacon frying in the skillet, eggs in the pan, and batter in the waffle iron. Tori followed the beautiful smell of breakfast into the kitchen, practically floating on the scent like she was in a cartoon.

“This is Monday, right?” she checked with her father. “Because this rarely happens on a regular day.”

“And a good morning to you, Tor,” Jess greeted her with a grin. “You want some of this?” he offered, gesturing to the pots and pans, already sure he knew the answer.

“Does Buffy stake vampires?” 

“Last time I checked.”

Jess made up a plate of breakfast for Tori and handed it to her. She already had a glass of juice and a cup of coffee poured out for herself and delightedly tucked into her food. Jack and Rory could be heard coming down the stairs together by then, and Jess started plating up food for the two of them as well. Jack was fastening his watch at his wrist and delighting in the special breakfast just as much as his sister had. Rory looked a little green, which made Jess frown. She had been in a real good mood not so long ago.

“You okay?” he checked in a low voice as the kids fought over the syrup bottle like children of half their age might.

“Yeah, sure,” she said, nodding her head. “I... I’ll tell you later,” she whispered, waving away his concern.

Clearly there was something she didn’t want to say in front of Jack and Tori. Jess couldn’t imagine what it would be but he guessed he would find out later. In the meantime, he was pleased to see the smile come back to Rory’s face when he handed her some breakfast and threw the last of everything onto a plate for himself.

It was nice to have all the family together around the table, all eating a good breakfast and talking about happier things. After all the drama the last few weeks and months had brought, it was altogether refreshing.

Tori’s phone beeped then and she pulled it from her pocket to check the screen. The grin on her face and the way she immediately hammered out a message with her thumbs proved she just got a text from Dax. Jess cleared his throat and took a drink of juice. Tori glanced up at him and sheepishly put her phone away.

“Sorry,” she muttered, going back to eating.

“This isn’t the diner,” Rory pointed out. “There’s no anti-cell phone policy here.”

“I know,” her daughter said, nodding.

“Hey,” Jess got her attention easily. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I’m trying to be cool with the whole dating thing you have going on, but it does not come natural for a father, okay? Maybe... maybe you could have this Dax come over for dinner sometime. Maybe I can learn to not want to punch a wall every time I think about him,” he said, looking over at Rory on the other side of the table.

“Wow. That would be progress,” she quipped. “Next thing you know you’ll be trying to like Kirk.”

“Don’t push it,” her husband warned with a smirk he couldn’t help. “But seriously, Tor, if this kid really means so much to you-”

“He does,” she confirmed. “And he’s a really nice guy, Dad, I swear. Y’know I asked him to the movies last weekend and he wouldn’t even let me pay. He insisted that being the guy he should do it, which I personally think is adorable.”

“Setting the feminist movement back a decade, Toria,” her brother teased her.

Tori stuck out her tongue. “I never said I was a feminist. Hey, I’m all for women doing whatever they want to do, but the same applies for men, and if my boyfriend wants to spend his money on making me happy, why would I argue with him?”

“Spoken like a true Gilmore girl,” said Rory, clearly amused. “Repeat that to your Grandma Lorelai, she will not fight you on the theory.”

Jess rolled his eyes and got up to clear the dishes off the table. Rory helped and caught sight of the clock in the process.

“As great as this breakfast was, Jess, have you seen the time?”

“Ah, geez,” he complained on seeing what she meant.

“Kids, grab your stuff and move your butts,” Rory advised. “Today isn’t just special breakfast day but also catch a free ride to school day, since there’s no way walking is going to get you there on time now.”

“I’m heading into town anyway, I’ll drive,” Jess told her. “The dishes will still be there when I get back.”

“Could you maybe drop me off too? I could use a few things from the store, and I wanted to drop in on Lane also.”

“Sure, no problem,” he agreed. “But now the kids are elsewhere, what was the look when you came down this morning?” he checked.

“Nothing to worry about, I promise,” said Rory, loving how concerned he looked. “I just... That thing I was waiting on? The Mother Nature thing? Pretty sure it’s no more than a couple of exits away,” she said pointedly.

Jess smiled and kissed her forehead, almost as relieved as she was that her body clock was getting back to normal. The kids came back into the room and that conversation was done for now. Jess concentrated on getting his family into the car, then cranked up the stereo and peeled out of the driveway complete with squealing tyres. It was such a stupid teenage thing to do, but sometimes he was okay with reverting to the hoodlum he used to be. Rory rolled her eyes, but she was wearing the biggest smile he had seen on her face for too long. The kids found the whole thing equal parts amusing and embarrassing if the looks on their faces in the rear-view were anything to go by.

As the Mariano clan arrived in the town square, there was quite the commotion going on. It took a while for them to realise just what the trouble was.

“Graffiti? In Stars Hollow?” said Rory, staring out of the window and then looking to Jess. “It can’t be.”

“Doesn’t exactly look like vandalism,” her husband noted with a frown.

In the back seat, Jack and Tori shared a significant look. The style of the pictures that seemed to be spread around everywhere in town was all too familiar to them, but it would be crazy to think that she had done this.

Jess parked up close by the diner when he realised what was happening. Luke and Taylor were having one of their infamous disagreements on the sidewalk, bound to come to blows at any second if somebody didn’t intervene. Somehow that had become Jess' job over the years, unless Lorelai was around - she wasn’t.

“Don’t you dare start in on my grandkids, Taylor. Just don’t do it!” Luke was bellowing as Jess approached the scene, Rory and the kids right behind him.

“Can you think of more likely candidates for this kind of vandalism than the son and daughter of your hoodlum nephew?”

“Hey, pipe down, Taylor!” yelled Jess crossly. “My kids did not do this.”

“Ah, if it isn’t the ex-pavement artist himself,” the selectman retorted, arms folded across his chest. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten the body outline outside my store.”

“Taylor, that was twenty years ago!” said Rory, hardly able to believe he was bringing up such a thing. “Let it go. There’s no way Jack and Tori did any of this.”

“And what exactly is wrong with it anyway, Taylor?” asked Babette, jumping right into the fray. “There’s nothin’ offensive or dirty out here, just pretty pictures. You guys see the beautiful portrait of Patty over at the dance studio? Takes years off her!” she told the Mariano family.

Rory started looking more closely at the pictures then. Some were on walls and pavements, stencilled on with spray-chalk for the most part, whilst others were on paper that was stuck to windows and poles. Each one was a person she knew or a place that was familiar. These were stylised imitations of Stars Hollows finest residents and destinations, and it was all just beautiful.

“It’s a tribute,” she realised aloud.

“It’s gorgeous is what it is!” said Babette, waving her arms at all the artwork. “When Maurey told me, I came rushing out so fast to see, I didn’t even put on socks!”

“We should get to school,” said Jack, pulling on Tori’s sleeve until she went with him.

They hurried across to SHS, both looking around for the same person. All around them, men, women, and children alike were delighting at the artwork that appeared all over town. Smiling faces were seen in both the pictures and on the people staring at the art. Somebody had seriously made an effort here, and it really could only be one person.

“How did she do this?” asked Martha the moment Jack appeared at her side. “How? I mean, I know she can draw and she loves her art but... I can’t believe she did all this,” she said, fingers running along the edge of a large sheet of paper tacked to the outside wall of the school.

“You didn’t know? Seriously?”

“I knew when I saw the pictures that the style was familiar,” she said, shaking her head, “but it’s only now I see this paper... She really did all this.” 

“She did,” said Davey, walking up with his arm around a strangely embarrassed Jaime. “My kid sister, people. She’s pretty damn talented.”

“And the best secret keeper in the world!” declared Tori, hugging her ‘cousin’. “Jaime, all of this is... I can’t believe it!”

“It’s my art project,” she shrugged as if it were nothing at all. “I knew it had to be big, and it had to mean something. I couldn’t choose just one person or one place. Everything and everyone here means so much. We all had to be included. That’s the Stars Hollow way,” she said with a smile.

“I should be puking at how mushy that is,” said Doula from behind them. “But you have a point, J, and this whole thing is pretty incredible.”

“Definitely not a point for debate,” Kwan agreed, walking up with his cell in his hand. “But one thing I gotta ask; is this me?” he checked, showing Jaime a picture on the screen.

It wasn’t really clear to all the teens who crowded around if the drawing was of Kwan, his twin, or someone else entirely. The way Jaime smiled proved that she knew and she had a reason too.

“That is you,” she confirmed. “And Doula,” she added, glancing at the girl in question.

Doula frowned, grabbing Kwan’s cell from his hand for a closer look, despite his ‘hey’ of protest. The picture was gorgeous, all rainbow colours around two manga style figures that were evidently her and Kwan. They both stood on a star each, arms outstretched, slightly too far apart to reach each other, but they were smiling. If the pictures were a cartoon in motion, they would end up embracing a few frames later, Doula was sure.

“C’mon, guys!” said Jaime, rolling her eyes when the not-a-couple continued to look confused. “Life’s too short!” she said eventually, turning to walk away and encouraging her friends and family to go with her into the school building.

“She has a point,” said Steve, the final one to leave the scene, patting his brother on the shoulder as he went.

Doula watched them go then looked back at Kwan, actually blushing as he stared right back at her.

“Um, here,” she said, handing over his cell. “I, er... I never...”

“So, you maybe wanna hang out sometime?” asked Kwan before Doula even managed to find a sentence to say. “Just us?”

“As friends, right?” she checked. “Because I know you’re not really interested.”

“That was before,” he shrugged. “This is now, and apparently, life is short.”

Doula smiled and Kwan smiled right back. Right now she felt like the picture of herself that Jaime drew, floating high on a star somewhere. It felt good.


	39. Chapter 39

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that things didn’t work out with the two of you,” said Emily diplomatically as she looked over at Jack. “I suppose it was inevitable. Relationships between Gilmores and Foresters seem destined to end badly.”

Rory would usually correct her grandma that Jack was a Mariano and not a Gilmore, a fact she had failed to acknowledge on a fairly regular basis since before Jack was born. On this occasion, however, it didn’t seem worth it. They had managed to get through the awkward moment of Jack explaining that he and Alison had broken up, and without having to give the full explanation of what happened. Best to move on now, and fast.

“So, Mom, did you get your invitation for April’s wedding?” asked Lorelai, as had been the plan. “They all went out a couple of weeks ago, so it should have arrived by now.”

“Yes, of course it arrived, Lorelai, and I responded in good time, as any invited guest should,” her mother told her sharply. “Of course I was astonished to receive it so close to the actual day of the wedding. Was I a last minute addition or did April really leave her invitations so late?”

“It is all kind of a rush,” admitted Lorelai. “But the ceremony itself is going to be a small affair. Most everybody there will be family, so the invitations were really only a formality anyway, since we pretty much know who’s coming.”

“She considers me family?” asked Emily, looking surprised and yet smiling. “How sweet.”

“Well, Rory is April’s sister by marriage, and Billy is her half-brother by blood,” said Luke. “In a non-official way, I guess you’re kind of April’s grandmother too.”

“I’m sure that’s how she thinks of you, Grandma.” Rory smiled.

“As I said, how sweet,” repeated Emily, still smiling.

It was one of those smiles that made Jess shudder, since it didn’t seem quite genuine, and was in fact just this side of dangerous. His own relationship with Emily had definitely improved since the days when she looked at him like dirt on her designer shoes, but they were never going to be each other’s favourite person, that was for sure.

“Doula is beyond psyched to be a bridesmaid,” said Tori. “I think it’s really cool that April asked her.”

“Did she not ask you also, Victoria?” asked Emily, putting the last dainty spoonful of dessert into her mouth.

“No, but that’s okay. She has Mom and Grandma as well as Doula. I’m guessing a person only needs so many bridesmaids, and I’m cool with just being a guest.”

“I assume as her father, Luke, you will be giving the bride away?” said Emily, gesturing for the maid to take away the dessert dishes. “These days it’s hard to know what to expect at a wedding. Tradition seems to have flown completely out of the window in some cases.”

“I will be walking April down the aisle,” Luke confirmed.

“Yes, and I get escorted by the best man,” said Lorelai with a wide grin. “I haven’t met the guy yet, but I’m assuming he’ll be young and hot.”

“Mom!” Rory and Billy gasped at the same moment.

“Really, Lorelai!” Her mother rolled her eyes. “Must you be so crass? And at the dinner table.”

“We’re not eating anymore.”

“In front of your own children... and the grandchildren also.”

“I think they’ll survive hearing me describe a guy I never met as young and hot,” she said with a look. “Besides, no matter how pretty he is, I already have the man I married and I’m sticking with him,” she said, smiling as she put her hand on Luke’s arm and gazed at him adoringly.

He rolled his eyes because he knew she was being over the top on purpose. That was practically Lorelai’s default setting after all. Still, it was hard not to be happy enough when talking about April’s wedding. Luke was a very proud father, that was for sure. He didn’t get to see his daughter as much as he would like and had only met her fiancé a handful of times, but it was enough. He knew Phil to be a nice, decent sort of a man, and he couldn’t be happier for his little girl who would become Mrs Farber in exactly one month from today.

“Y’know I think the last big wedding we had in town was yours,” said Lorelai thoughtfully as she looked across at Rory and Jess.

“It can’t be, can it?” said her daughter thinking it over.

“Can’t think of another one.” Jess shrugged.

“I wish I’d seen you guys on your wedding day,” said Tori with a sigh. “The pictures are great but it’s not the same.”

“Honey, it was scandal enough that your brother was there on your parents’ wedding day, without you being there too,” said Lorelai with a grin.

Emily looked less amused. “Yes, well,” she said, getting up from her seat. “Let’s go through shall we?” she said, heading for the living room.

“Thanks, Mom,” Rory said quietly to Lorelai. “You know how Grandma felt about the whole cart-before-the-horse thing.”

“Hey, if she’s not used to that kind of thing by now, she should be,” said her mother pointedly. “Besides, we’re going back sixteen years or more.”

“Maybe a subject change would be for the best,” said Luke, his hand in the small of Lorelai’s back as he moved her out of the dining room with everyone else.

“Grandma?” said Billy, pushing forward through the adults who looked a little lost for where to take the conversation from here. “I was hoping to talk to you about the Gilmore family tree,” he told her, taking a seat on the end of the sofa nearest Emily’s chair.

“Oh, is it for a project for school, William?” she asked him with interest and a more genuine smile than she had worn previously.

“Yes and no,” he admitted. “I mean, we’ve been discussing genealogy in history class, heritage and all. Some kids can trace their family back to the Native Americans, others to Europe. I just wondered how much you knew about the Gilmores. I know you said we go back to the Mayflower-”

“Oh, I can tell you more history than that,” she enthused. “Your grandfather had a book... I’ll go find it for you.”

“Nice save, kid,” said Lorelai with a grin the moment Emily had disappeared up the stairs.

“Yeah, say that again when we’re still hear at midnight listening to how there was a Gilmore at the stable in Bethlehem,” Jess muttered.

“Nah, if Gran was going all out she’d come up with a way for Adam and Eve’s last name to be Gilmore,” said Tori smartly.

Rory shot them both a look when she heard her grandma returning to the room. Unfortunately, she had a feeling her husband and daughter had a point. It was probably going to be a very long night.

* * *

“What the hell?” exclaimed Jess, sitting up fast in the bed.

“Huh?” said Rory sleepily as she came to less abruptly. “What’s going on?”

“Apparently we’re under siege,” her husband told her, rubbing his hand over his face and hopping out of bed.

Padding across to the window, he looked out into the drive even as he pulled on his pants.

“No car,” he noted.

“Oh God!” Rory gasped, throwing herself out of bed and fearing the worst.

If they didn’t have unexpected guests from out of town, that could only mean some horrible emergency. A million frightening scenarios ran through her mind as she threw on a robe and fastened it tight. Out on the landing, she and Jess found the kids were also up, Jack in a T-shirt and shorts, Tori in her robe too.

“Mom?” she asked. “What’s happening?”

“It’s okay, I’m sure it’s all fine,” she said even as she panicked inside.

Jess headed down the stairs ahead of everybody else, racing to the door on which some psycho was pounding still. He got a real shock when he tore it open and saw who was wanting in.

“Finally!” she exclaimed. “What does a person have to do to get in out of the rain in this town? You expect more when you come all the way out to Neighbourville.”

“Paris?” Rory gasped as she hit the foot of the stairs and heard her friend ranting in the hall.

“Hey, Gilmore.” Paris smiled happily, beside a scowling Jess. “I’m sorry, I thought all you small town folks were up at dawn.”

“Usually. We kind of had a late night,” her friend explained. “But it’s so great to see you,” she said then, moving to hug her tight, immediately regretting it when she stepped away with rainwater soaking through her robe.

“Hey, kids,” Paris greeted Jack and Tori then. “It’s been a while. That growth spurt finally came, huh, Jack?”

“Pretty much,” he said, nodding and rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Not that it’s not great to see you, Aunt Paris, but I’m gonna go get dressed.”

“Me too,” said Tori with a grin. “But it is awesome that you’re here,” she agreed before the teens ran off.

“Er, you probably wanna get dried off,” Rory realised belatedly. “I’ll grab you some towels.”

“It’s fine, I have my own in the bag,” said Paris, gesturing to the large case on wheels she had dragged in with her, making mud tracks into the hall. “I know where to find the bathroom, so I’ll be back in a few,” she said, heading for the stairs. “Oh, and not that you have anything to be ashamed of, Mariano, but you might wanna put on a shirt before breakfast.”

Rory bit her lip to keep from laughing as Jess stood staring in shock until Paris was out of sight. He shook his head then and looked down at the mud tracked into the hall.

“It’s six thirty in the morning.”

“I know.” Rory nodded, coming over and putting her arms around his waist. “If I’d had any idea she was coming, I would’ve warned you, but I really, really didn’t.”

“It’s fine.” Jess sighed, hugging her back and kissing the top of her head. “Thankfully, she never seems to stay long.”

“Very true,” his wife agreed. “Probably just a flying visit.”

“Here’s hoping.”  
When everyone was dressed and had taken their turn in the bathroom, Paris explained that her visit was literally a few hours layover before she had to head off to Atlanta. Jess tried not to look too relieved, and the kids took over catching Aunt Paris up on all the happenings in town, especially those related to the extended family of which she was a part, albeit a usually absent one.

Breakfast was apparently on Jess, since he half-owned a diner. Paris insisted it made sense and that if they headed into town she would get to see a little more of the local colour that so amused her. Luke was working, alongside Billy, and so she got to catch up with them too. Not willing to leave her mom out of the joyous occasion of a visit from Paris, Rory gave Lorelai a call and got her to come over to join them for breakfast too.

“So, you said you were passing through. Where are you headed?” asked Lorelai as they all sat around the table at Luke’s.

“Atlanta, for a medical conference. It’s nothing anybody else would find interesting, of course, but these things can be vital for those of us in the profession. It’s a combination of learning about new methods and drugs, and making the right connections to further your career.”

“Sounds... interesting,” said Rory with a smile, knowing that her original thought of ‘fun’ was probably a long way from the truth. “How long are you away from home for?”

“Four days including travel time.”

“I’ll bet Doyle is feeling the loss,” said Jess, trying for sincere and yet knowing he had failed.

He had a lot of sympathy for the guy that married Paris, and a whole lot of respect too since he had stuck with her all this time without either of them being committed yet.

“He does struggle without me, but he has the kids for company at least,” said Paris, pulling out her cell. “Here, the latest family portrait.” She offered the phone to Rory who held it where Lorelai could see too.

“Wow. How old are they now?” she asked.

“Jonathan will be nine next month, and Eva is seven already. I swear I don’t know where the time goes.”

“Tell me about it,” said Rory, looking at her own kids. “I can hardly believe it’s more than seventeen years since I was sat in that apartment in New Haven, all fat and sore, with you telling me I needed to eat a pineapple if I wanted to give birth already.”

“Y’know, back then I really thought you had ruined your life getting knocked up so young,” said Paris, shovelling eggs into her mouth and not even flinching at the astonished and less-than-happy looks she was receiving around the table. “But you two made this work. The marriage, the family, the careers. I’m proud of you, Rory.”

“Well, thank you, Paris,” said her friend, laughing slightly. “I’m glad you approve,” she added, sharing a look with Jess.

He rolled his eyes and got up, muttering something about needing to talk to Luke. Paris barely seemed to notice the going of him, as the kids explained to her about the now bedraggled looking artworks still present around town. The rain had spoilt those drawn directly onto the walls and pavements, but Tori was quick to pull out her cell and show her aunt photographs of Jaime’s art.

Conversation continued in a more general vein from there, and then Rory took Paris for a walk around town, including a visit to the music store to see Lane. Before long, Paris was checking her watch and saying it was time she was heading out. Rory took her back to the house to pick up her bag, and the offered her a ride to Hartford to catch her flight.

“Thanks, but I have a cab on the way,” she said, waving away her friend’s concern. “If you can believe the estimate, which personally I don’t, it’ll be here in the next five minutes, so expect it in ten.”

Rory smiled. Paris was a singular sort of a person, extremely outspoken, and did not suffer fools gladly. The truth was, Rory missed her. When she first went away to Harvard Medical School, she missed her a lot, and then work kept her away from Connecticut, Rory got used to the distance as the years rolled by. Now the worst times were these kind of flying visits, because they just weren’t long enough.

“I wish you’d come stay for a while soon,” she told Paris. “Bring Doyle and the kids, take a couple of rooms at the inn, really spend some quality time.”

“It’s a possibility,” she said, nodding her head. “It’s just finding a time when I can be away from the hospital and the kids aren’t in school or one of their extra-curriculars. Doyle can work from anywhere, he has it easy, like you, but for those of us with restrictive jobs, it’s not quite so simple. Of course, next year I’ll be making the trip down for the Chilton reunion.”

“Oh, of course. Twenty years,” Rory recalled. “I can’t believe you already have plans for that.”

“Are you kidding? I’m on the committee that’s organising the damn thing,” Paris told her. “You think I was leaving such a landmark event in the hands of the likes of Francie or Louise? Not a chance, Gilmore.”

Rory had long since given up in trying to get Paris to remember she was a Mariano. If she hadn’t got it now, she was never going to, and Rory was half-convinced Paris did it on purpose to bug her anyway. Honestly, it didn’t anymore. She kind of liked the reminder of the good old days, even if she was more than happy with her present life as it stood now.

The cab showed up, five minutes later than the estimate, just as Paris had predicted. Rory smiled and reached to hug her.

“It was great to see you, Paris,” she told her. “Longer visit next time, deal?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” she promised, smiling also. “Maybe this summer, if I can make it work.”

“That’d be nice.”

It was tough not to laugh or to feel sorry for the cab driver as Paris had her bag put into the car and yelled instructions about the best route to take and how quickly she intended to be at the destination, or else. The two friends waved as the cab eventually moved away, and Rory hugged herself there on the porch. She really hoped Paris did make the effort to bring her family to visit soon. Despite Jess’ usual reaction, Rory would so love to see the whole Geller-McMaster clan again before too long. Time just went by too fast sometimes.


	40. Chapter 40

“Aunt Lorelai is so going to regret getting you that thing for your birthday,” said Martha, watching Billy type furiously on his new toy. “Uncle Luke made it pretty clear he wasn’t crazy about you having it in the first place.”

“C’mon, Mar, you know how much crap I took for having that other cell,” he reminded her. “It was practically from the dark ages!”

“Your dad really doesn’t like technology,” said Tara thoughtfully. “I think we’d still have gas lamps and horse-drawn coaches if he had his way.”

“You’re probably not wrong.” Tori nodded. “Still, the cell is pretty fancy.”

“I’ve had it two days and I still haven’t figured out half the functions,” Billy admitted. “For a guy that could pretty much only make calls and write texts until now, this is a lot.”

“Y’know, Mom said when she was our age she didn’t even have a cell, just this thing called a pager. She showed it to me, I have no idea how anybody lived that way,” said Jack, shaking his head.

Laughter from across the room interrupted the conversation and the kids all turned to see what was going on. Two girls they recognised as Alison’s minions were flirting with the football players who they usually fawned over, nothing new there. The strange part was that Alison herself wasn’t present. Her time of ruling over the popular clique at SHS seemed to have passed now. Rumour had it that she had changed since her grandfather died, plus it was said that come the last day of the school year she would be gone. The Foresters were moving back to wherever they had come from, and that was the end of that. Jack, Tori, and their friends and family couldn’t be sorry to know that chapter of life was almost over, but seeing Alison’s friends turn on her wasn’t cool.

“I almost feel bad for the bitch,” Tori muttered. “Only almost,” she confirmed.

Jack smiled sadly at her words. “People are cruel, sis.”

“Amen to that,” said Kwan, looking to his brother. “You’re not gonna say we should be nice to her now though, right?”

“She’s not my enemy to forgive,” said Steve. “Besides, most of what happened to her, she brought on herself. If she came over here to apologise for the way she lied to everybody, then she could expect forgiveness. So far, she doesn’t even seem to regret her actions.”

“Maybe one day she will,” said Jack, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “Can we change the subject? Please?”

“Sure.” Alex nodded, patting his buddy on the shoulder. “Er, anybody got big plans for the Summer?”

“I signed up to help out at Bible camp,” said Steve happily. “My grandma got me a place there. It’ll be great to help guide the younger kids on their path.”

“That’s really cool, Steve,” Tori told him with a smile. “You’re really gonna make a difference.”

“I hope so.”

“Greetings, pals and gals!” said Doula as she arrived at the table, parking herself next to Tara. “What’s up?”

“Not much, D,” said her friend with a smile.

The two of them had really become close since the twins party. It was cool for them, since neither had a real feeling of belonging before. The two outsiders had found a way to be their own people and part of something too, which was kind of the perfect balance really.

“I brought a couple of extra people over,” said Doula, gesturing behind her. “We have room, right?”

The assembled group of family and friends looked a little surprised when two Goth types came walking up to their table. Only Tara knew them well, and besides her, only Billy knew their names.

“I don’t understand,” she said, shaking her head. “Guys?”

“What’s up, Tara?” said Rachel with a smile. “You said we could come join you guys any time, right?”

“And I meant it,” she agreed, nodding her head, “but you were always so sure you didn’t want to.”

“We changed our minds, so sue us,” said Evan with a smirk that soon became a genuine smile. “If we’re welcome, we’re here.”

“You’re entirely welcome,” said Tori with a grin. “The more the merrier. I’m Tori, this is my brother Jack”

“I’m Martha,” said her friend next. “This is my boyfriend, Alex, and my sister Jaime.”

“You know Billy,” Tara confirmed. “And Doula, apparently. This is Kwan and Steve. Guys, these are my friends, Rachel and Evan.”

“That’s a lot of names,” said Rachel, shaking her head some.

“Don’t even get them started on the family tree,” said Tara with a giggle she couldn’t help.

“So, we were talking about what we were going to be doing this Summer,” Tori recalled. “You guys got plans?”

“We’re not exactly the beach-going, party-loving types,” said Evan.

“Us either.” Jack shrugged.

“See, I told you they weren’t like that,” Tara hissed to her friends. “They’re not so different from us.”

“There’s just a lot of us,” Kwan noted. “But that’s cool, because it means we’re all kinds of inclusive.”

“That’s cool” said Evan, nodding his head.

“That’s us.” Tori smiled. “We’re all very cool.”

Laughter emitted from every corner of the table at the over-serious way she said it. It was nice to have everybody get along for a change.  
When school let out, the kids all went their seperate ways. Some had studying to do, others had work. Kwan was desperate to get home for practise with the band, which wasn’t altogether a new thing.

“Kwan, you know that English essay has to be done by Monday.”

“I have all weekend, bro,” he reminded Steve. “This is important. You know we got our first paying gig at Molly Fisher’s party next week, and Shelley’s been so tied up at work we’ve barely had time to practise.”

“He’s serious about this practise thing,” said Tori. “Y’know Dax had to cancel our date tonight because of your damn practise?” she told Kwan with mock anger.

“You’re coming to hang out while we practise, you’ll get to see him,” he reminded her. “Besides, you can date another night.”

“That’s not the point,” she told him. “Anybody else coming to hear these guys rock the place?” she checked.

“You’re coming, right, Doula?” said Kwan, getting her attention.

She had been about to walk away, but doubled back when he spoke her name.

“Er, sure,” she said, hugging her books to her chest. “I mean, I could come for a while.”

“You’ve got a good ear for what works on a set list,” Kwan noted. “I could use your help.”

The way he smiled at her suggested he wasn’t just inviting her to help with song arrangements. Something was happening with those two lately, but it was all very quiet and slow, not what anybody would expect from a couple like them. Doula was usually so gung-ho with guys, or she had been until the Tommy incident. Kwan was not adverse to getting into things with girls either. They were action people more than wordsmiths, but maybe it was better that things were happening more slowly here, at least Tori thought so.

“Hey, Toria?” her brother said, tapping her shoulder to pull her from whatever daze she seemed to have gotten into. “You eating at Aunt Lane’s?”

“Er, yeah, I think so,” she agreed, nodding her head. “Mom and Dad know where I’m going. I promised to be home by ten and Dax’ll drive me.”

“Okay, I’ll see you at home,” he told her, walking away with a wave.

Tori was only half listening. Watching Doula and Kwan dance around each other was giving her ideas that she really needed to write down. She hoped Dax had a melody in mind when he read the words that were already forming in her head, because she had a feeling this would make a hell of a song.  
“Not much of a third date, huh?” said Dax, leaning on the back of the garage wall beside Tori. “I’m sorry I can’t make tomorrow night work. Dad really wants me to be home for dinner and-”

“Dax, I told you, it’s fine,” his girlfriend promised, moving to kiss his lips. “You apologised four times, I think you covered it. Besides, it’s not like you’re blowing me off, you have a family thing. If anybody understands that, it’s me.”

“You’re kind of awesome, Victoria Mariano,” he told her with a smile, one hand trailing through her hair. “You know that?”

“Of course I do,” she told him easily, making him laugh.

Then she laughed too, more out of nerves than anything. Sometimes when he looked at her like that, Tori felt like she was just going to melt into a puddle of goo right there on the patio. No other person she knew had such an effect, only Dax. It had to mean something, and yet Tori daren’t think too much on what that something was.

“I seriously wondered if Kwan was ever going to let you guys take a break,” she said then, sipping soda from the bottle in her hand.

“The guy is a little obsessed since we got hired for that party,” Dax agreed. “But I get it. Kind of a big deal, getting paid to play.”

“Well, you guys are really good. You deserve to get paid.” Tori shrugged. “Who knows, after one gig you guys could get hired for more. Could be a full Summer.”

Dax turned away when she said that, looking more than a little uncomfortable. Tori frowned. Something wasn’t right here. Something had shifted the moment she mentioned the Summer. She was about to ask what was up when he turned back into her and shook his head.

“I have to tell you something,” he admitted. “And I probably should’ve told you sooner, but... Well, I guess I was being a coward.”

“Go on,” Tori prompted, even though she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear.

“Dinner tomorrow night, the reason Dad wants me there is because we need to talk plans for the Summer. See, he has this whole trip planned that he wants to fill me in on. We’re supposed to go visit my grandparents for a week or so, but he wants to make a real family road trip out of it, going to all these places. I think he's making up for being kind of absent lately, and now we're past the whole me drumming thing... I should thank Louise, I guess. Anyway, yeah, an epic road trip is in the works.”

“You’re gonna be gone a while,” Tori realised.

Dax nodded. “At least the first month of break, I think. Could be more,” he admitted, leaning into her. “I’m gonna miss you, Tor.”

“I’ll miss you too,” she told him, smiling bravely. “But it’s just a few weeks. We’ll deal” she said, just a little bit unsure that she believed that.

Dax was the first guy she had felt this way about, the first one to take her on a date and the first to kiss her. She had a feeling she wasn’t his first girlfriend, but what worried her more was how easily he might move on if she wasn’t around. She hated to think that of him, because she did trust him, but there was temptation everywhere and boys were boys. Teen romances sometimes didn’t last so long.

“Tori,” he said, leaning ever closer, kissing her sweetly. “I love you.”

She couldn’t breathe when he said those words and certainly didn’t know how to respond. A million thoughts surged in her brain and even more feelings exploded in her heart. She wanted to answer him, but she couldn’t. All Tori knew how to do was turn and run.

Dax closed his eyes, let out a long sigh as he turned his back against the wall, smashing his fist into it for good measure. That had not been the plan, and if it had been a plan, it would’ve been a dumb one. He really screwed this up apparently.

“Idiot!” he cursed himself. “Stupid, stupid, idiot!”

“You’re not,” said Tori.

Dax physically jumped when he realised she was back. She really couldn’t have got far, maybe just around the corner, all of twenty paces away. He had no idea what just happened and didn’t have the voice to ask. Thankfully he didn’t need to.

“I’m sorry,” said Tori, coming closer again. “Dax, I... That was probably the last thing I expected you to say.”

“Me too,” he admitted. “I mean, it wasn’t a plan, it just... It’s true, Tor. I don’t know how it happened-”

He didn’t get a chance to say more as she pushed herself into his arms and kissed him hard on the lips. When they parted a moment later, she was smiling.

“I love you too,” she promised. “And I know it’s crazy, and maybe we’re idiots and too young and doomed from the start or whatever, but does it matter?”

“You matter,” he told her, holding her close. “Just you.”

When he kissed her again, she didn’t protest at all. It didn’t matter what came later, for now they were just happy. You had to grab these moments and hold on for as long as they lasted, they both knew that, and it was all they planned to do.


	41. Chapter 41

“It has been way too long since we did this, babe,” said Lorelai, reclining on her lounger.

“Tell me about it,” Rory agreed, adjusting her sunglasses and reaching for her coffee. “Life just gets so crazy-busy sometimes. We should take more time out for us.”

“Amen, sister-friend,” her mother sighed.

They both lay there in silence for a moment, not entirely sunbathing since it wasn’t quite warm enough, plus they were both fully clothed. The idea was just to relax, enjoy the Spring weather and each other’s company in the quiet solitude of the Marianos’ back yard. The kids were at school, both their husbands were elsewhere working, and the original Gilmore girls were taking some ‘me’ time together. Unfortunately, relaxing didn’t come easy to two women who were used to being on the go all of the time.

“This is harder than it used to be,” said Lorelai, eyes popping opening as she sat up some on her lounger. “I feel like I should be doing things.”

“Like I’m a terrible person who is relaxing when there are a million tasks to accomplish,” agreed Rory, copying her stance. “What is wrong with us?” she asked, in mock terror.

“I think it happened, babe,” said Lorelai regretfully. “I think we... grew up.”

“Nooo!” Rory wailed, before laughter took over. “Oh, Mom. I think you’re right. We’re long-time wives and mothers now.”

“And a grandmother in my case,” she pointed out. “I think it might be impossible for us to switch any of that off.”

“Do we really want to?”

“I guess not.” Lorelai smiled. “Pretty sweet being us, even when it feels like your head is going to explode, isn’t it?”

“Really is,” Rory agreed, smiling also. “Besides, life hasn’t been so stressful lately. My body clock seems to have figured itself out. No more issues of the female trouble kind,” she said with a particular look.

“I’m glad, hon,” Lorelai assured her, putting a hand over Rory’s own. “I know how freaky that was for you.”

“More than freaky,” she agreed. “Jess was great though. He’s tried so hard to make things easier for me, to keep me from going off the rails. He’s very good at that.”

“The boy does good.” Lorelai nodded. “Hard to believe how much I hated him when he first came to town.”

Rory laughed aloud at that. “For what it’s worth, even he knows how much of a pain in the butt he was in the beginning. I think in a lot of ways he was doing it on purpose. Teen rebellion can be fun though.”

“Yup. Might be a long time ago for me but even I remember the fun of those days.” Lorelai grinned. “And now we have teens of our own. In my case, for the second time.”

“And we’re not the only ones,” Rory noted. “Can you believe Martha turns seventeen today?”

“After the number of times Sookie has reminded me and freaked out about the celebratory dinner tonight? Yes. Yes, I can,” Lorelai confirmed. “I know Sook likes to make every occasion special, but she’s gone a little overboard on this one. It’s only the Bellvilles plus Jack, Tori, and Alex. The Queen of England will not be present!”

“It’d be a long way for a woman of almost 100 to travel,” Rory considered. “Honestly, I think it’s a reaction to Davey going away in the Fall. First of the next generation to leave Stars Hollow for pastures new.”

“Yup,” Lorelai agreed. “But it’s just college. He’ll be back.”

“I can’t even think about how I’ll feel when it’s time for Jack to go away,” said Rory sadly. “You think I can convince him and Tori to both go to Yale like me?”

Lorelai laughed. “Yeah, ‘cause my parents trying to influence your decision ended so well.”

“Actually, it did,” her daughter considered. “I ended up in college within twenty five miles of home and you got to see me all the time.”

“Huh,” Lorelai said thoughtfully. “Hey, if we can get Jack to knock up some chick, he’ll never leave!”

“You’re hilarious,” Rory dead-panned, not at all offended by her mother’s attempt at a joke.

They had both done the teen pregnancy thing, and though it had turned each of their lives upside down, neither could regret their life's path. In the end, everything had turned out pretty good, there was no denying that.

“Hey,” said Lorelai, a sudden thought occurring to her. “If my husband is running the diner this afternoon, where’s yours right now?”

“He’s meeting Matt in New Haven,” she explained, leaning back in her lounger with her eyes closed a while. “Yale invited him to give a talk on the publishing industry or something, and Jess said he’d meet him after to discuss the latest book.”

“He finished another one?”

“Uh-huh. Now Luke is back to work and things have settled down with the kids, Jess has had more time for his writing. He finally got the second draft figured out.”

“Hey, good for him.” Lorelai smiled. “Jack does seem happier now. Tori too, though she’s a little bummed about Dax being away for so much of the Summer.”

“I know.” Rory nodded. “But she’ll handle it. They’ll call and text and everything. Besides, we have stuff planned for the break, activities to distract her.”

“Good plan, Momma Bear.” Lorelai nodded. “I’ll bet Jess is glad the ‘little punk’ is out of the picture a while.”

“Actually, he’s doing better with the whole Dax thing. They met, they talked, and nobody left with a broken nose.”

“More than can be said for the Jess vs. Dean situation,” said Lorelai, smirking because she couldn’t help it. “I have to say, I can’t blame the guy for that one.”

“At least they shook hands after and peace was made.” Rory sighed. “I have to admit, I won’t be sorry when Dean, Lindsay, and the delightful Alison are out of town again,” she said, just a little too much venom creeping into the name of the girl who had so hurt her son.

Not that Lorelai could blame her. The whole Forester clan could leave town and never come back as far as she was concerned. Nobody needed that kind of trouble. It was strange to think how much Lorelai had wanted Rory to be with Dean many years before. She really thought he was the good guy, the solid dependable one that would make Rory happy in some kind of happily ever after scenario. She never would have risked a bet on Jess Mariano. Oh, how wrong she had been.

“So, how about you?” said Rory suddenly. “Things are calm in the Gilmore-Danes house?”

“Luke is doing good, Billy is happy,” she confirmed. “April’s wedding is all organised for Saturday, no dramas to report. I even managed to make the happy sounds and behave myself around Anna during the organising process.”

“Good girl.” Rory smiled. “I can’t wait to see April again, and to see her get married! It’s going to be so special.”

“It is that. She and Paul are coming down with his family on Thursday, rooms at the inn are all booked for them, and then the wedding is Saturday - family only ceremony, and blow out reception for all the townsfolk that want to come right after. Everybody will be gone again by the end of Sunday and that’s a wrap.”

“And this family tree of ours will have one more branch,” Rory noted. “It’s getting so they’re going to have to invent a new paper size just for us.”

Lorelai laughed at that, but she couldn’t argue.  
“Ugh, I’m not sorry this day is over!” Tori sighed as she met up with Jack, Martha, and Alex by their lockers. “I swear, everybody is out to drive me crazy!”

“Bad day, Tor?” asked Alex, just a little amused by her dramatics.

“Don’t mess with me, Tramos,” she warned. “I’d hate for Martha to suffer the tragedy of losing her boyfriend on her birthday.”

“Hey, breathe, Toria,” her brother urged, a hand in her shoulder. “Think happy thoughts. Rumour has it Aunt Sookie has made chocolate cake for Mar’s birthday bash.”

“Mmm, chocolate.” Tori sighed happily. “That is definitely what today needs.”

“I know something else that might cheer you up too,” said Martha, grinning wide. “I didn’t tell the guys yet, but something happened in gym today.”

“Okay,” said Tori, looking confused. “Tell me.”

“Well, you know how we were all feeling sorry for a certain person who’s grandfather passed last month?” she said, barely glancing at Jack.

“You can say her name, Mar,” he told her. “Alison hurt me but I know she exists and I’m not gonna break if you mention her.”

“I am way past feeling bad for her,” said Alex, shaking his head. “I heard she’s been crying on the shoulder of just about any guy she thinks’ll be nice to her, mostly guys with money who already have girlfriends,” he said with a look.

“I don’t think she’ll be flirting with anybody for a while after what happened today,” said Martha.

“C’mon, Mar, stop stalling already!” Tori urged her. “What happened?”

“Well, I didn’t see it, I only heard, but they’re saying some girl threw a volleyball at Alison, so hard she was almost knocked out!”

“Geez!” Alex gasped. “Some chick really has an arm.”

“Do we know who?” asked Tori. “Because I’d like to shake that girl’s hand.”

“Me too,” Martha agreed. “Rumours are Alison has two black eyes and potentially a busted nose.”

“Couldn’t happen to a more deserving person,” Tori muttered, even as Jack shot her a look. “Oh, come on, Jack! I’m not saying you have to be happy she got hurt, but you can’t say she didn’t have it coming.”

“Karma, man,” Alex agreed. “It’s gotta be.”

Jack shrugged, not willing to comment on the subject. He encouraged his friends and sister to walk. They really should be getting over to the Belville house. Aunt Sookie was expecting them by four and dawdling would only make her panic. That never ended well.

“Er, Jack?” said a voice.

He turned around quickly and then found he had to look up to see the face of the girl who had spoken to him. She had to be at least a foot taller than he was, but she was pretty and vaguely familiar somehow.

“Hi,” he said. “Um, do I know you?”

“Kind of,” she replied, shifting nervously. “We’re in the same English class. I usually sit in back, obviously,” she said, clearly making reference to her height. “I’m Becca.”

“Becca, right.” Jack nodded, wondering what else he was supposed to say. “Is this about something from class?”

“Not from English class,” she confirmed. “It has something to do with what happened in gym today,” she admitted, blushing furiously. “I wanted you to know that... Well, I did it for you.”

Martha’s eyes went wide and she looked to Tori who was similar afflicted. This was the girl that threw the volleyball, it had to be.

“Come on,” she said, ushering her friend's sister away from the scene a little bit, and dragging Alex behind them.

“You did...? What did you do?” Jack asked Becca, even though he was pretty sure he already knew.

“Well, it wasn’t just for you, exactly,” she explained, pushing loose strands of hair back behind her ear. “I always hated users, and she... That Alison Forester thinks she’s so smart and that it’s okay to just flutter her eyelashes at people and make use of them. She was saying things about what happened with you and I really don't know what happened. I kinda lost it, blacked out or something? I threw the ball and it just hit her right in the face.”

Jack wasn’t sure what to say, so he said nothing and let Becca continue.

“Coach Dunham thought it was an accident, she didn’t even ask me about it, so I went with the theory. Seemed like a smart move,” she explained. “I never got into trouble before, and now didn’t seem like a good time to start,” she said, pushing her hair back one more time in what was clearly a nervous gesture since there were really no more strands of hair to move. “Anyway, I just wanted you to know, you’re worth way more than that, Jack. The Alison Foresters of the world, they don’t deserve guys like you.”

She smiled even as her cheeks burned and then she was hurrying away as fast as she could before Jack could hardly blink.  
“She’s pretty hot, man. I mean, you’d need a ladder to kiss her, but that’s a small price to pay, am I right?” said Alex, shovelling cake into his mouth.

Talk at the table in the Belville household had been more about Jack and the mysterious Becca than anything else, in spite of the fact they were here to celebrate Martha’s birthday. She didn’t seem to mind. Honestly, she was pleased to think that there might be another girl in Jack’s life, one that would treat him way better than Alison Forester ever had.

“Could you keep your voice down?” Jack hissed down the table.

So far the talk of Becca had been only when Sookie and Jackson were out of the room, preparing food, fetching gifts, or taking phone calls. Everyone (except for Alex with his big mouth apparently) was well aware that if the adults got to hear about Becca, they would talk to the other adults, like Jack’s mom and his grandma. After all the drama that Alison brought, he kind of didn’t want any more talk of his dating until he at least knew what he was dealing with.

“Whoever this Becca is, she has to be nicer than your last girlfriend,” said Jaime knowingly.

“Ain’t that the truth?” Tori agreed, holding up a hand to high five with her ‘cousin’. “Seriously, Jack, what’s so bad about this girl liking you?”

“I never said there was anything wrong with her liking me,” he confirmed. “I just... I don’t know. I only learnt her name a couple of hours ago.”

“Might be worth learning a little more,” said Martha. “She seemed nice.”

“In two minutes, she seemed nice?” Jack checked.

“I’m a good judge of character!” she reminded him.

That at least was true, and honestly, Jack had no reason not to at least want to be friends with Becca. She seemed very nervous and self-conscious which he had to assume had to do with her height. It might be awkward dating a girl that was that much taller than him, but the very fact he was even giving due consideration to what it would be like to date her already spoke volumes, he was sure.

“Everybody had enough to eat?” asked Jackson, returning from the kitchen. “Because Sookie has a second cake if anyone what’s to take some home.”

“Ah, the infamous second cake,” said Tori.

“Yeah.” Davey nodded. “There was about to be a third before I convinced Mom to stop.”

“Good work, son,” his father told him, patting his back. “Your folks all like vanilla strawberry, right?”

Tori and Alex both nodded and Jackson went back through to the kitchen, yelling for his wife to wrap up plenty of cake for the kids to take home. Sookie was well renowned for changing her mind when making cakes, especially for special occasions. Most birthdays the kids got at least two in different flavours or designs.

“She has only made one wedding cake for April, right?” Jack checked.

“Yes.” Jaime nodded. “Aunt Lorelai had to get real strict with her on that, but there is just one. Four tiers, but only one creation.”

“So, man, you think you might ask out Becca?” asked Alex. “You could probably still get tickets to Junior Prom if you wanted to go.”

Jack opened his mouth to answer that question but never got a chance as a loud crash sounded from the kitchen.

“Mom?” Martha called worriedly, but Sookie’s face soon appeared between the gap in the doors, albeit covered in frosting.

“I’m okay, sweetie. No panic here,” she promised, smiling widely, “but there is just a little less cake for you kids to take home than we thought.”


	42. Chapter 42

“Okay, here we are, and with the welcoming committee all ready to greet you,” said Lorelai with the biggest fake grin on her face that she could muster.

Honestly, she just really wanted to get Paul’s family members out of her car and into the inn already, most especially Paul’s elder brother, Joe. April had not been kidding about his knack for getting a lewd comment into just about everything, and if he alluded to his being the best man and Lorelai being the maid of honour and what that could mean one more time, he was going through the windshield and that was just that!

“I am so sorry,” said April from the passenger side, hanging back whilst her future siblings-in-law piled out of the back seat one after the other.

“It’s not your fault, babe,” Lorelai assured her. “Paul is great, his parents seem like nice folks, and I can’t fault little sister, Bernice, but the guys?”

“Joe is the worst,” April sighed, literally face-palming, “but he and Paul are so close. It’s one of those so-opposite-but-get-along-so-great things. Besides, the other option would be Alan.”

“He can really stare!” Lorelai gasped “I mean, wow. Has he even blinked since the airport? Every time I glance in the rear-view - nothing!”

“I know!” she step-daughter agreed. “It creeps me out, which is the only reason I’m glad Joe is the best man. Just don't even get me started on what the best man’s speech is going to be like.”

“Everything okay?” asked Luke, opening the driver’s side door for his wife.

“Sure, sure,” she promised. “Just last minute wedding talk. Everything okay with the in-laws and the groom?”

“Absolutely fine,” he assured them. “Everybody is being shown to their rooms by Michel. Paul is just waiting on April.”

“And I’m going. Thanks for the ride, Lorelai, I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Later, sweets!”

Lorelai got out of the car and closed the door with a thud.

“Ugh, all those jokes I made about me and the best man? Very, very bad!” she complained, leaning forward until her forehead landed on Luke’s shoulder.

“He seemed fine to me.”

“You didn’t share a car ride with him. The man does not know how to make a comment that isn’t dirty.”

“That usually amuses you.”

“Not every two minutes!” Lorelai complained. “Besides, I really don’t think it’s appropriate for a guy who is younger than my daughter and about to be the brother-in-law of my step-daughter to be making comments about my... assets,” she said pointedly.

“Do I need to talk to this guy about manners?” said Luke, perhaps a little too seriously.

Lorelai sighed. “No, it’s fine. He’s just young and enthusiastic. I guess I should be flattered really. I still got it,” she said, grinning then at the realisation.

“Of course you still have it, Crazy Lady,” her husband assured her with a grin, kissing her lips. “And you always will.”  
“So, the Farbers are quite a bunch,” said Rory as she and April walked ahead of the family.

“That’s one way of putting it.” Her step-sister nodded, leaning closer to Rory. “Thank you so much for helping me out with the tour. Paul’s parents were really eager to see the place, Bernice too. The guys could take it or leave it, but their parents insisted and I can’t really handle the whole clan alone.”

“What are sisters for?” Rory grinned. “Besides, this is fun. Except for Joe and his leery comments. He does know I’m married, right? Also, almost ten years older than him.”

“I could remind him again, but I really don’t think it would matter.” April rolled her eyes. “He already hit on Lorelai today, and Sookie, and Miss Patty actually.”

“He should be careful with Miss Patty. She is not above making him husband number six... or seven,” she frowned on realising she really wasn't sure which number they were up to. “Oh, guys? This is the church... also the synagogue. We’re a multicultural sort of a town here,” she said to the assembled family group then.

The parents oohed and aahed over the building, taking pictures and talking to their sons. Bernice split off from the group, bursting in between April and Rory with a smile.

“Hey! So, where’s the talent in this town?” she asked straight out.

“Talent? By this she means boys?” Rory checked with April.

“That she does. Um, I don’t know what direction to point you in, Bernice. You’ve moved past high school boys, right?”

“Naturally,” she said, rolling her eyes. “They are literally so last year.”

“Freshman in college, huh?” said Rory with a smile.

“Headed towards Sophomore year pretty fast,” Bernice confirmed. “Honestly, I shouldn’t even be here. I bought a half hundred weight of books with me to study in-between the town tour and the wedding. Finals wait for no woman!”

“I remember,” said Rory with an almost wistful look, not only of her Freshman year at Yale but also of her business course she took when the kids were younger. “I’m sure you’ll do great.”

“Here’s hoping. In the meantime, sight-seeing!” she said happily. “Ooh, who’s that hunk?” she asked, arm out-stretched across the square.

Rory followed Bernice's pointer finger and her eyes went a little wide.

“That’s not a hunk. That’s Sookie’s son, Davey,” she said definitely. “He’s a high school Senior, due to graduate in just a couple of weeks.”

“Meh, younger man,” said Bernice wincing. “Damnit. I’m determined to only go older. Nothing less than twenty one.”

“So he can buy you beer?” asked April, looking unimpressed.

“No, so he has a clue about life!” said Bernice definitely. “It’s all about the older guys.”

She practically skipped off back to her family then as her mom called for her to come see the beautiful tree or similar. Rory and April shared a look and burst out laughing.

“Oh, to be that young again!”  
“I feel bad that your family are at the inn and you guys are here. We should’ve invited them too,” said Lorelai, looking pained, despite the fact Paul seemed fine with being the only member of the Farber clan invited to The Crap Shack.

“And put them where?” asked Luke. “On the ceiling?”

Nobody could argue that it would have been impossible to have any more people around the elongated dinner table. There were really too many of them as it was, and they only all fit because they didn't mind the squeeze. Luke, Lorelai, and Billy, plus Rory, Jess, Jack, and Tori was enough to fill more room than they really had, so inviting just April and Paul made for a pretty interesting game of sardines whilst they ate. If not for the extensions made to the house, even this group of nine would never have managed to fit in. Of course, they were only eight right at this moment since April had excused herself to go get another soda.

“It’s fine, Lorelai,” Paul assured her. “Sookie is taking good care of my family, and I get to spend a little more time with the new branch.”

“Your sister seems cool.” Tori smiled.

“Notice how she doesn’t mention the brothers,” said Jack in a whisper to his father.

Jess smirked but said nothing. It seemed maybe Paul had heard, but thankfully he wasn't offended.

“Bernice is very cool,” he agreed. “Joe and Alan are an acquired taste, I know, but they are good guys, you just have to get to know them,” he promised his new family. “So, April was telling me you probably have dinner with the great Emily Gilmore tomorrow night? I’m intrigued to meet her.”

“Brave man,” said Lorelai with a smile. “Actually, Friday Night Dinner is the third Friday in the month, so that’s not ‘til next week, but since you and April invited her to the ceremony, you will meet the great Emily Gilmore then, and good luck to you,” she added, saluting with her knife.

Everyone resumed eating for a moment then, until Jess noted how long April had been absent from the table. Perhaps it was weird that nobody else had noticed, but with all the people present and the conversation in full flow, it wasn't so strange. It bothered Jess that she was still gone, especially after she had been so quiet before.

“I’ll be back,” he whispered to Rory, dumping his napkin on the table and slipping from the room.

He wandered into the kitchen and found April's abandoned glass on the table there. The back door wasn't all the way closed and Jess headed out to look for her. He didn't have to search for long. She was sat on the porch steps, staring out into the half-light of the back yard. She was so lost in thought, she didn't seem to know he was there until he spoke.

“Hey, cous.”

“Oh, hi,” she said, clearly startled as she looked up at him and forced a smile.

“You okay?”

“Sure, yeah.”

Jess shook his head and dropped down onto the step beside her. “And for real this time?”

April let out a heavy sigh.

“I’m good, I am,” she promised, her smile a little more genuine this time. “Excited, looking forward to the wedding.”

“But?” prompted Jess, knowing it wasn't quite that simple. It couldn't be or she wouldn't be out here looking so glum.

“No but,” April confirmed. “However...”

“That’s a fancy but.” Jess smirked, bumping her shoulder with his own.

April laughed, but it didn't last. “I don’t know what’s the matter with me,” she sighed, putting her face in her hands a moment.

“Cold feet maybe?”

“Maybe, but I wanna do this. I wanna be married to Paul, be his wife, be Mrs April Farber. It won’t make any big change to our lives. I mean, we already live together and everything, it’s just something we want to do, that I want to do. I don’t know, I think just being here with my family and his family, it suddenly feels very... real. Does that even make sense?”

Jess nodded. “More than you know.”

“Growing up it was just me and mom, and then there was Luke and Lorelai, Rory and you, Jack, Tori, Billy. My family grew exponentially and I loved it,” she confirmed. “Now it’s changing again, it feels as scary as it is thrilling.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Jess sympathised. “‘Til I was seventeen, it was me and Liz. Barely even Liz, mostly just me. It was tough becoming part of a family, and every time things changed, there was that urge in me to run right out the door,” he said, complete with hand gestures demonstrating just how fast he had wanted to bolt.

“But you didn’t,” said April, knowing it was true. “Why not?”

Jess shrugged his shoulders, not even looking at her when he replied. “When you love people like that, you can’t stand to hurt them. The urge to run is only surpassed by the urge to stick by those people.”

It was real sagely advice, proper wisdom that came with age, not that Jess was old or anything, but old enough to know. He had experience, of family and marriage, even kids. April trusted that when he told her things would be cool, they would. That when he said he was there for her, he was.

“Y’know, of all the family I gained when I found Luke,” she said then, “I always liked my big brother best.”

She smiled too much when she said it, because she knew how sappy it sounded. Didn't mean it wasn't true though. April was well aware that Jess was only her cousin by blood, but via Luke's marriage to Lorelai, and Rory's marriage to Jess, he could be construed as her brother too. She had always kind of seen him that way, and she always liked him in that role. Certainly Jess didn't seem to mind taking it on. April meant just as much to him in her own way as Doula ever could.

“You’re alright, kid,” he said, an arm around her shoulders pulling her close a moment or two, kissing her temple, “and you’re gonna make a beautiful bride.”

“And a decent wife, I hope,” she said, looking a little uncertain still.

“You will,” Jess assured her, giving her one more squeeze. “You love Paul, he loves you. Hell, if I thought for a second he didn’t, I’d knock him into next Thursday.”

April laughed at the threat, even though she knew he wasn't entirely joking. 

“You and Dad both,” she said knowingly. “Thanks, Jess. For everything,” she added, looking up at him with all the adoration a little sister should have for a big brother, no matter what age they were.

“I didn’t do much,” he shrugged.

“You did enough,” she promised, returning the favour by hugging him back. “Okay, we should get back inside before the search party comes looking,” she said then, levering herself up off the steps and dusting off her backside.

“After you,” said Jess, following suit.

They just got in through the door, only to find Lorelai waiting in the kitchen. “Hey, there you are!”

“Here we are.” Jess nodded, ushering April back towards the living room.

“Everything okay?” asked Lorelai, stepping into Jess' path the moment April was gone.

“Last minute nerves, but she's fine,” he assured her, nodding his head. “I don't think she's gonna pull a Runaway Bride or anything, it's just a big leap to make.”

“I hear ya,” Lorelai agreed. “Best leap I ever made though.”

“Me too,” said Jess, as mother-in-law and son-in-law shared a smile and headed back to dinner together.


	43. Chapter 43

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Paul leaned into plant a kiss on April’s lips and the deal was sealed. The new Mr and Mrs Farber were applauded by their closest family members, and Lorelai heaved a sigh of Mr and Mrs Farber were just lovely, no trouble on that score, and Lorelai never worried about Rory or Luke screwing anything up. Bernice was very sweet and though Alan had that creepy staring thing going on, he caused no bother to anyone once they got used to him. Jack, Tori, and Billy were as well-behaved as expected, and it was years enough since Lorelai had to worry about Jess giving her cause for concern at family functions, or anywhere else for that matter. Even Emily was polite and reasonable with everyone so far, though her daughter did not expect that to last once the reception got into full swing. The issues at the ceremony itself were centred around the remaining guests.

Anna was always the unknown quantity. She loved her daughter and obviously wanted to be included in her wedding, but April was a little skittish about having her too deeply involved. She favoured Luke and Lorelai, the family she had on her father’s side, who she ended up closer to in adulthood than her own mother. Anna had a habit of being perfectly nice one day and kind of a bitch on another. Lorelai was glad she didn’t kick off too badly when April told her Luke would be walking her down the aisle, and had made little comment about anything at all today.

Doula was another issue, or more specifically her parents. All three had been invited to the ceremony, and with none of them being exactly predictable on a good, normal, sober day, there were risks involved in having them at a wedding. Thankfully, Doula had done an excellent job in her bridesmaid role, and her parents had been remarkably quiet for a change.

That just left Joe, the best man and elder brother of Paul. He really was kind of skeezy, that was the only way Lorelai could find to describe him. On walking her down the aisle, he made a big deal of looking down the plunging neckline of her dress, asking if they would be too closely related after this wedding to be able to ‘get dirty’ later. Lorelai swallowed hard so as not to throw up in her own mouth and didn’t even bother to reply. It seemed safer that way, no matter how tempted she was to kick Joe so hard in the right place that he had no usable equipment for any kind of dirty behviour with anyone ever.

As April and Paul were whisked away to sign the register and make their wedded state official, Lorelai instructed the guests at the private ceremony to move on over to the marquee where the reception would be getting underway very shortly. Most went as they were told, only Luke, Rory, and Emily hung back to talk to Lorelai.

“You need help with any last minute stuff, mom?” asked her daughter helpfully.

“Thanks, babe, but we’re good,” she promised. “I just gotta check in with Sook, but we should be cool.”

“Since that was my question too, I guess I’ll head over with you, Rory,” said Luke, stopping a moment to kiss Lorelai’s cheek. “Thank you for today,” he told her softly. “I know what it meant to April. Means a lot to me too.”

“No problem,” she assured him, grinning as he and Rory walked away arm in arm.

“It was a beautiful ceremony, Lorelai,” said Emily, eyes focused somewhere in the middle distance. “Hardly in leagues with my own wedding, and yet... Such a long time ago,” she muttered then, shaking her head. “In any case, I’ll stay just long enough to give April and Paul my best, and then I’ll be heading home.”

“You’re not staying for the reception, mom?”

“I hardly think it will be my kind of party, Lorelai.”

She tried to sound so snobbish when she said it, but Lorelai knew better. It wasn’t that she thought these people beneath her exactly, especially not her beloved family members. She had grown accustomed to the folks of Stars Hollow over the past twenty years, that was not the issue.

“Never know unless you give it a try,” said Lorelai with a look, finally regaining her mother’s attention. “Come on, you hardly ever come to this kind of thing, especially since Dad... He would want you to have fun,” she said definitely. “You know if he was here he would be throwing himself into the party, head first. Couple of scotches into a shindig like this and he was ballroom dancing with Patty, singing with Babette, teaching Kirk how to smoke a cigar.”

“Yes, he did all of those things,” said Emily, amused by the memories for a moment before the sadness crept in. “It still feels wrong to enjoy myself that much without him. You can’t understand, I don’t blame you for that, but it’s... it’s very hard.”

“I know I can’t ever get it exactly, at least not ‘til the same thing happens to me and hopefully that’s a long, long way off,” she said, shivering horribly at even the vague thought of losing Luke, “but I do know it’s tough on you, Mom, and I think maybe it’d be a little easier if you embraced the family you have left. We’re all here for you, y’know? April wanted you at this ceremony because you’re her grandma. I know she’s not a Gilmore, and that Rory and her kids go by Mariano now, but we all... we all love you, Mom. Every person here relief. It was awful really to feel anything but joy on such an occasion, but it had gotten pretty tense for a while there.

loves you, and we would love for you to be any possible level of happy that you can find,” she said, with what she hoped was an encouraging smile.

Emily didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was rare for herself and Lorelai to have such serious conversations, mostly because it was simply easier not to go there. Perhaps once in a while it would be better to just say what they meant, but that simply wasn’t the way with the Gilmore women. Never had been, probably never would be.

“Perhaps I could stay, just for a little while,” she said eventually. “Thank you, Lorelai.”

“Yay!” Lorelai grinned, steering Emily towards the marquee. “You can protect me from Joe. I have a feeling even he’s not dumb enough to mess with you.”  
“Oh, Lorelai!” said Miss Patty, dabbing at her eyes. “It’s all so beautiful, you’ve done a wonderful job with all the arrangements”

“Thanks, Patty,” she said with a smile, “but honestly, the most beautiful part is the happy couple. I didn’t organise that, they did it all by themselves.”

“Paul is quite the young gentleman,” she agreed with a sigh. “Oh, I feel so old these days.”

“You? Old? Never!” said Lorelai definitely. “You’re only as old as the man you feel. Am I right?”

“Bad girl!” Miss Patty chuckled, swatting her on the behind as she walked away.

Lorelai noticed Paul’s brother Alan staring and shook her head. If he turned his gaze on Miss Patty too long he might get more than he bargained for. Honestly, she couldn’t be bothered to warn him. The kid got what he got and that was that. Maybe they should throw Joe and Miss Patty together instead. Lorelai shook her head harder until her eyes rattled in her head and tried to think of anything else. She walked over to Sookie who was checking everything on the buffet table, seeing what was being eaten and what wasn’t.

“People are eating my new dip!” she said happily. “And the crab puffs! I was a little worried about those, but they’re almost gone.”

“You did great today, Sook,” Lorelai assured her. “You never do anything else. Hey, you seen that?” she asked then, nudging her friend to get her full attention off the buffet table and gestured to the dance floor.

Beyond a contented looking Rory and Jess in each other’s arms and slightly hidden by Martha and Alex, Sookie suddenly saw her eldest son with his arms around Bernice Farber.

“Ooh, that’s my Davey!” she gasped, flapping her hands. “He’s dancing! My Davey is dancing with a girl! Aaaw, I thought it would never happen.”

“He is what you might call a late bloomer,” Lorelai noted. “Usually football players are drowning in cheerleaders and all of that cliche stuff, but Davey...”

“He was never all that interested,” Sookie confirmed. “I mean, you know for a while we thought maybe he liked the boys, which would’ve been fine, but he really wasn’t interested in anybody for such a long time.”

“I was surprised when Tori mentioned he has a date to Prom.” Lorelai nodded. “Then she said it was Melana Vasquez and it suddenly all made sense.”

Sookie nodded that she had thought the same. Davey and Melana were going to Prom together because they were the two not currently coupled already. Most of the jocks were in fact dating the cheerleaders or other similarly popular girls in school, and vice versa. Davey was different, and so was Melana, being as she was Stars Hollow’s ‘token lesbian’. It was a very un-PC way to put it, but she really did seem to be the only one of her kind in the whole town, at least the only one willing to admit to her orientation. It meant she really didn’t have anyone to date, but she and Davey were buds, so that was cool.

“Is she maybe a little old for him?” said Sookie, suddenly concerned as she watched her son dance with Bernice.

“Um, no, I don’t think so.” Lorelai shook her head. “She’s only nineteen, college Freshman,” she confirmed. “And hey, it’s not like they’re the ones getting married. She’ll be out of town by this time tomorrow. Just let them have fun for tonight... this evening,” she amended, realising how that sounded. “Family friendly, PG-13 fun.”

Lorelai stopped rambling then, taking a moment to look around at all the happy people in the marquee. Couples were dancing, some members of her family, others just friends and loved ones. Rory and Jess looked adorable, alongside the newly married April and Paul. Steve had convinced Jaime to join him on the dance floor and the two were laughing at themselves for not being able to move without stepping on each other’s toes, whilst Dax held tightly to Tori and looked at her like she meant the entire world to him.

Eyes wandering to the edge of the dancefloor, Lorelai found Jack getting his ear talked off by Babette; Kwan and Doula trying not to be too obvious about how close they were becoming and failing miserably; Emily being encouraged to put down her wine glass and go dance with Luke.

“I love my husband,” she said out loud, pointing to what she had just seen when Sookie proved to be confused by that sudden comment.

“Aaaw, cute,” she cooed at the sight. “He really is a good man.”

“The best.” Lorelai smiled. “Maybe it’s time for a good deed on my part also,” she considered heading off across the floor.

April intercepted her on the way, turning out of Paul’s arms to grab at her step-mom.

“Lorelai! Thank you so much for today. It’s beautiful and wonderful! I haven’t had this much fun since... since my thirteenth birthday party!” she declared, remembering that occasion with a huge amount of joy.

Lorelai laughed and gave her a hug, recalling that day happily also. It was the first party she had thrown for April, and she had to admit it had been pretty darn good. She was only too happy to make this day as special as she could also.

“You deserve the best, babe,” she assured her.

“I’ll agree with that,” said Paul, staring adoraingly at the woman he could now call his wife. “And that Hep Alien, they really rock. Nobody ever made ‘Friday I’m In Love’ sound that good. Except for ‘The Cure’, obviously.”

“Agreed.” April smiled widely, before grabbing onto Lorelai again. “I actually had one more favour to ask. Wanna keep hubby here company a little while? I have somebody I need to talk to.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” said Lorelai, feeling just a little awkward as she was pushed towards Paul. “You ready for this, slugger?”

“I think so,” he agreed with a chuckle as they began to dance.

April grinned at the sight of them together and then headed off towards the side. She swept past Doula as fast as she could, knowing there would be nothing but talk of her visit this Summer if she wasn’t careful. April had another target in mind right now.

“Hey, nephew,” she said, startling Jack so much he almost spilled his punch. “Sorry,” April winced.

“It’s cool,” he promised. “Great wedding.”

“Thanks, but this is mostly your grandma’s work,” she admitted, listing a little to the left suddenly. “You wanna know a secret? I’m really not sure if it’s the ridiculously high heels or the champagne that’s making me wobble,” she said in a faux-whisper.

Jack smirked and looked exactly like his father. “Probably a little of both,” he said thoughtfully. “Not that I would know about either thing.”

April smiled, knowing he had a point. She moved to sit down and gestured for him to grab the empty seat beside her.

“So, not dancing, huh?”

“Not so much.” Jack sighed. “I don’t have a date, and that limits the options some. Babette asked, but I politely declined.”

“Probably for the best,” April said thoughtully, “though she’s a little safer than Miss Patty. Speaking of women...” she said then, looking sideways at Jack.

“How much did Mom and Dad tell you about Alison?”

“All the pertinent facts, which is all a woman of science needs,” she told him with a smirk to rival any he had ever worn. “I’m sorry, Jack. That was a rough lesson for your first relationship.”

“It is what it is,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I’ll live.”

“Glad to hear it.” April nodded, patting his arm. “Of course, after your parents got done telling me about she-who-shall-not-be-named, your sister mentioned a potential Junior Prom date?”

“Toria has a big mouth.” Jack shook his head. “And she got it wrong. I’m not going to Prom. Don’t get me wrong, Becca seems cool. We’ve talked a few times and... I don’t know. It makes me nervous.”

“To put your faith in someone after what happened before,” said April, a statement not a quesion because she already knew she had to be right. “You remember my first real boyfriend?” she asked then. “Probably not, you were so young. Anyway, his name was Danny, and I thought he was just perfect. He had the swept back hair and the dreamy blue eyes and he was the only guy in my class who knew more about geology than I did,” she said, smiling at the memory. “And then one day I caught him in the lab at school, making out with Cathy Freeman. He didn’t apologise, he didn’t make excuses, just stood there with her cheap lipstick all over his face and told me he found someone better.”

“Ouch,” said Jack, feeling the pain April spoke of, because he knew it well.

It was a very different situation to what he had been through with Alison, but he would bet the hurt and humiliation was very similar.

“Ouch, indeed.” April nodded. “Y’know I remember Danny now and I don’t hate him. Actually, I’m grateful to him, because if not for what I went through with him, I wouldn’t be me. Anyone who wasn’t the me I am now, wouldn’t just have gotten married to my husband,” she said with a grin, flashing her left hand under Jack’s nose, rings sparkling in the light.

“You’re crazy-happy right now.” Jack smiled, feeling a little of that feeling rubbing off on him just by virtue of talking to her. “Congratulations, Aunt April.”

“Thanks, kid,” she said with a smile, hugging him with one arm and kissing his cheek. “Think about what I said, okay?”

“I promise,” he said definitely, still smiling even as she got up and kind of staggered when she walked away.

Jack knew he had to move on from Alison eventually. He figured it’d be easier when she was gone from Stars Hollow. As far as Becca was concerned, maybe he would ask her out sometime. She certainly seemed to want him to. 

As he watched all the happy faces of his family and friends jumbling together on the dancefloor, Jack knew at least there was always hope for a happy ending, no matter how things seemed to suck from time to time. Doula’s laughter rang out loudly over everything else. She was hanging off April’s arm, no doubt gushing about the trip to NYC she would be making soon. Kwan looked a little downcast. Those two really had gotten close lately, and it was about time. Everybody bore witness to their first kiss at Molly Fisher’s birthday bash two weeks ago, but Jack and most of their friends and family respected that the couple were taking it slow. It was probably for the best really. Maybe the two of them missing each other when Doula was away would make a difference. Only time would tell.

“Jack!” Toria called to him then. “Come on!” she urged him.

Only then did he realise what was echoing around the marquee. He closed his eyes and laughed, knowing he was not getting out of dancing to this particular song. Grandma Lorelai in particular simply would not allow it. Since he was very small, she had been telling him he was born in a cross-fire hurricane but it was alright. In this moment, as he and his sister started up something akin to a mosh pit in the middle of April’s wedding reception, Jack could honestly believe her. It was alright.


	44. Chapter 44

“Hey, Tor,” said Kwan, appearing behind her. “You okay?”

She was staring into space as far as he could tell, she hadn’t moved in at least five minutes. School was out for the week, he sort of expected her to be in motion towards the front door alongside everybody else already, which was what had him confused.

“I’m good,” she told him with a smile. “Enjoying the happy scene,” she added, gesturing for him to look.

Kwan did so and then realised what had Tori grinning so much. Jack was in deep conversation with a tall girl named Rebecca Grant. Kwan had heard about her but hadn’t really seen her until now. She was pretty and she seemed to find Jack equal parts hilarious and awesome if the laughter and body language was anything to go by. At this range there was no way to know what was being said, but it looked to be all good things.

“That’s cool,” said Kwan. “He deserves that.”

“He’s not the only one,” replied Tori, turning her attention from her brother to her friend. “Gonna be rough on you when Doula goes away.”

“I’ll live,” he told her, shrugging his shoulders, trying to be tough about it. 

“Sure.” Tori nodded, knowing as well as he did that living wasn’t the issue. “You and me are in the same boat this Summer. Dax is going to be gone even longer than Doula.”

“Yeah, well. Y’know you can come hang at our place whenever. The band practise will be on hold without your boyfriend, but you’re still welcome, always. You know that.”

“I know.” Tori smiled. “Thanks.”

As they both turned to look back at Jack, they realised he was finishing up his conversation with Becca. He left her to walk over to his sister and 'cousin', unable to keep from smiling apparently. Tori was more than glad to see that.

“Any progress yet?” she asked him. “Like, maybe, a date?”

“There’s a reason why you get called Parker, first name Nosey,” he reminded her.

Tori stuck out her tongue and waited for a real answer.

“Yes, okay, I asked Becca out on a date... and she said yes,” Jack told her, doing his best not to blush and make an even bigger fool out of himself.

“Way to go, man,” said Kwan, slapping him on the back. “It’s about time.”

The three set off for home then, meeting up with Steve and then Martha and Alex on the way. All were pleased to hear Jack’s news, though it was Tori who shared it. She really was thrilled to see her brother so happy, genuinely moving on from the bitch that was Alison Forester.

“Hey, if this goes well, we could double sometime,” said Alex thoughtfully.

“Maybe let Jack have one successful date with the girl before you invite us along,” suggested Martha, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend.

“One thing’s for sure, this date isn't for tonight,” said Tori knowingly.

“Ah, the famous Friday Night Dinner” said Steve, nodding his head. “Those things come around fast.”

“Mom and Grandma Lorelai used to go every week when Mom was our age,” Tori noted. “But it got too hard to co-ordinate when all us kids came along, I guess. Besides, it’s not like we never see Gran any other time. She was at April’s wedding just last week.”

“She really got into the festivities. It was cool to see that,” said Jack with a smile. “I know it’s tough on her since Great Grandpa passed away, but it’s good that she’s trying.”

“It’s all anyone can do, I guess,” his sister agreed. “Anyway, she ought to be thrilled to hear about your new girlfriend,” she teased Jack then, complete with over-girly voice and hanging off his arm.

“Toria!” he complained, rolling his eyes at her childish behaviour. “Let us have the first date before you marry us off in your head, okay?”

“Can I help it if I’m happy that you have a date with a nice girl?”

“I’m not saying that she’s not, but how can you possibly know for sure that Becca is a nice girl?”

Tori looked thoughtful a moment. “Sisterly instinct?” she tried.

“I don’t think that’s actually a thing,” said Alex, frowning at the idea.

“Oh, it totally is,” Martha insisted, not leaving Tori hanging for a second when she offered a high five.

Jack sighed at their behaviour but laughed at the same time. He loved his sister and his friends, no matter how crazy they were. Honestly, he wasn’t sorry about the date he had arranged with Becca either. She did seem genuinely sweet and decent, and this time Jack felt able to trust his instincts on that, not to mention the opinions of those closest to him. Maybe this girl was right for him where Alison had been so wrong. Only time would tell.

* * *

“Well, not long now until the school year is over, I suppose,” said Emily, sipping her martini. “I’m sure you’re all looking forward to your Summer vacation already,” she said, looking at Jack, Tori, and Billy who were all sat along one couch.

“I don’t think anybody would not look forward to twelve weeks out of school,” said Tori with a smile.

“We have some plans,” said Billy, looking similarly happy about it all. “Me and Dad are going fishing, and I’m spending some time with Tara’s family.”

“But we’ll be working too,” confirmed Jack. “At the diner and the inn, always helping out.”

“They are good little worker bees, one and all,” said Lorelai. “But you kids will have plenty of time to hang out with your friends and relax. That’s important when you’re young,” she said pointedly.

“For the first part of the vacation at least, I’ll be happy to work,” Tori muttered.

“Am I missing something?” asked Emily, looking to Rory and Jess when their daughter didn’t seem eager to share.

“Oh, the Coopers are going on an extended trip,” Rory explained. “Tori is going to miss Dax. I think it’s only for a few weeks, but that can feel like a lifetime, especially when you’re a teenager,” she said, looking at Jess with a fond smile.

He knew exactly what she was thinking of. Times when they were parted back then always felt like forever. As adults, it wasn’t so bad if they had to be apart for a week, but in those days it was such a drama, and felt like forever until they saw each other again.

“Well, I would offer you all the chance to come here whenever you want to, but I’m afraid I will be away myself for much of the Summer.”

“Oh, you going somewhere special, Mom?” asked Lorelai, since this was the first she had heard of it.

“Yes, actually” she said, smiling widely. “I managed to convince my sister Hope it was time us girls met up and visited Europe again,” she explained. “I swear, I’ve lost count of the number of years it’s been since Hopey and I spent any real time together, and I haven’t been across the ocean since... Well, in several years,” she said, keeping her smile in place when it threatened to slip. “You know, Richard would quite despair of my behaviour of late, and that will not do. I still have life in me yet, and I plan on not wasting a second of it sitting around in boredom and solitude.”

Lorelai felt tears coming to her eyes at the sound of those words. Clearly all she had said to her mom at April’s wedding last week had made a difference. She understood how tough it was on Emily to go on without her husband, but that didn’t mean she should just sit around being miserable until her own end came. There was a world to see and family to embrace. It was good to see her wanting to do both things with such enthusiasm.

“Sounds good,” said Luke, when he realised Lorelai’s voice had abandoned her.

She squeezed her husband’s hand in gratitude and he squeezed back.

“Well, thank you, Luke,” said Emily with a genuine smile. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone exactly, there’s a chance I may not be back in time for our next family dinner.”

“That’s okay, Grandma,” Rory told her. “I mean, if you want to, we could have dinner whichever week you do come back. We’ll all want to hear about your adventures across Europe.”

“Then I hope to have plenty to tell you,” said Emily happily. “If I can figure out all the buttons on that camera you bought me last Christmas, I hope to take lots of pictures.”

“I can help you out with that,” said Jess, making everybody stare. “It’s practically the same model as the one we have at home, and if you set it up right, it’s not so complicated.”

“Thank you, Jess,” said Emily. “Perhaps after dinner you can give me some pointers.”

He nodded in agreement just as the maid appeared to say dinner was served. The family got up as one and headed in to the dining room, talking about new topics as they sat down to eat.

“Davey looked so smart all dressed up in his tux. Very James Bond,” Lorelai explained, over roast lamb and vegetables that everyone was enjoying.

“Melana looked amazing too,” said Jack. “It’s cool that they went together.”

“Sookie’s son is dating this Melana person?” asked Emily, feeling lost.

“No.” Tori shook her head, failing to continue when Jess made a big deal of putting down his glass hard and shooting her a look. “Um...”

“Victoria?” her great grandmother prompted when she fell silent.

“Well, Davey doesn’t have a girlfriend right now. He still talks a lot about Bernice, but obviously he couldn’t take her to Prom, and Melana didn’t have a date either, so...”

“Oh, so they’re just attending the event as friends?” Emily guessed. “That’s very nice.”

A few significant looks passed around the table, and there was no way the matriarch of the Gilmore clan wasn’t going to notice.

“Okay, I’ll go,” said Lorelai eventually, with a deep sigh. “Mom, Melana is a lesbian.”

“I’m sorry, should I be shocked by this news?” asked Emily after a long pause. “Are you all expecting me to ask for explanation as to what a lesbian is? Or am I just supposed to be shocked that a friend’s son is taking such a person to his Prom? Really, it’s as if you all think I’m from another planet. There have always been lesbians, Lorelai,” said Emily, rolling her eyes. “I was a young woman in the sixties. You would be amazed at the sights I’ve seen,” she added with the kind of smile that was just this side of terrifying.

Whilst Lorelai and Rory looked a little freaked at the possibilities Emily was eluding too, Jess at least looked amused. He kind of liked the idea of good old grandma Gilmore being a progressive in any form or at any time. Certainly her ability to shock people, and the clear enjoyment she got from doing it occasionally, explained the way in which Lorelai and Rory both never failed to keep him and Luke on their toes. It had to be a family trait, it was the only thing that made sense.

* * *

When the Marianos arrived home from Friday Night Dinner it was getting late. The kids both headed up to bed, but Rory went straight to the kitchen and put some coffee on. Jess followed, intrigued by her behaviour. Even Rory wasn’t usually craving the caffeine this late, not these days.

“You okay?” he checked, watching her from the kitchen doorway as she put the water on and added coffee to the machine.

“Yeah, I am,” she assured him. “I think that’s what has me so thoughtful really. Everything’s working out pretty good right now.”

“I guess so,” Jess agreed, nodding his head as he pushed off the door jamb and came over to her. “You seem happier the last couple of weeks. Way less stressed.”

“I am,” she told him happily, glad of his arms around her. “I could say the same about you too. I haven’t smelled cigarettes on you in quite a while.”

Jess opened his mouth to respond then closed it again fast, looking away. His wife was way too smart for him.

“You weren’t supposed to know,” he told her, eyes fixed on the tiled floor still.

“Jess, we’ve been together almost twenty years, more than half our lives,” she reminded him, hand at his cheek making him meet her eyes. “If I don’t know by now when you’re stress-smoking, I think I’d be a pretty sucky wife.”

“You’re the best wife on the planet, Ror,” he told her, smirking at the way she phrased it. “Pretty sure you’re the only woman in the world that could put up with me for this long.”

“I plan on putting up with you for a lot longer yet,” she promised him, smiling through happy tears that came unbidden to her eyes. “I didn’t think it was possible, but I might actually love you even more now than I did back then.”

“I know what you mean,” said Jess, leaning in to kiss her lips, a moment that intensified within seconds as their arms wound around each other. “How much do you need that coffee?” he asked, between fevered kisses.

“Not so much,” she said, reaching out blindly to turn off the machine just in time before he swept her out of the room and to their bed.


	45. Chapter 45

"Good morning, Mrs Danes,” said Luke as Lorelai woke up beside him.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust and her brain to catch up to what day it was and then she smiled.

“Good morning, husband of mine,” she replied, pulling herself up to take the tray from his hands. “Sixteen years and you’ve never forgotten once,” she sighed, picking up the card from its place propped between her breakfast and the tiny vase holding a single bloom.

“Lorelai, you would not let me forget even if I wanted to,” he told her knowingly. “And for the record, I would never want to. Happy Anniversary, Crazy Lady,” he said, leaning in to kiss her lips.

“Happy Anniversary, Diner Man,” she replied in kind, reaching into the nightstand and then handing him an envelope.

They both opened their cards and smiled at the sweet sentiments they read in each. Lorelai tucked into her breakfast in bed then, whilst Luke went to make sure Billy was up out of bed. He found him just emerging from his bedroom into the kitchen.

“Hey, kid. You all set for the last day of school?”

“Pretty much. Oh, Happy Anniversary, Dad,” said Billy then, snapping his fingers as a thought occurred to him. “I got you guys a card... Here,” he said, reaching around his father to grab it.

“Thanks son,” Luke smiled. “But how about you go give it to your mom? You know I appreciate the thought, but she’s the one who gets real excited over this stuff.”

“Roger Wilco.” Billy nodded, heading for the stairs.

Luke watched him go, shaking his head. Another school year was over. Billy was fifteen already, a Sophomore in High School come September. It made Luke feel so old, more so when he thought of April, now happily married, and even Rory and Jess. Neither was his child by blood, but he helped to raise them both, and then assisted in raising their kids too. Time sure had flown. It was so easy to stand here in the kitchen and see scenes from more than twenty years before. A Jess and Rory that were almost as young as their son was now, meeting for the first time on just this spot. They had all come so far since then.

Billy came racing back down the stairs like a herd of elephants and Luke felt the need to remind him there was no need for such a noise.

“Sorry, Dad,” he apologised. “Er, Mom said you better not be headed out to work or anything without saying goodbye, and I quote, ‘today of all days’.”

“Jess is handling the diner this morning so I can be here,” said Luke, rolling his eyes. “I can’t believe your mother thinks this year would be any different to the previous fifteen anniversaries.”

“Don’t shoot the messenger,” said Billy, hands raised in the air. “Anyway, I’m outta here, so you guys can... whatever.” he said with a random hand gesture, making a face that proved he did not want to know or even think about it.

“Have a good day, son,” said Luke, watching Billy race out of the door with his book bag swinging from his shoulder.

“Lucas!” Lorelai sing-songed from upstairs. “I think we’re alone now!”

Luke had his foot on the second step when a thought occurred to him. He turned back towards the kitchen, grabbed the coffee pot, and then headed up the stairs again.

Lorelai would have been glad enough just to get a hold of her husband this morning, but her husband with a pot of coffee? It was going to be a very good day.

* * *

“Thanks, Dad!” Tori called, grabbing up the paper bag from the counter and rushing for the door.

“No problem, Tor. Have a good last day!” he called behind her, sure she barely heard before the door clanged shut in her wake.

No sooner had she left than it opened again and Rory walked in.

“When did our daughter turn into Bart Allen?”

“About five minutes after she picked up your coffee habit?” Jess suggested. “Hey,” he said then, leaning over the counter and greeting her with a kiss.

“Hey,” she replied in kind. “All go this morning, huh?”

“Always when I get the early shift here, but it's their anniversary, what can you do?”

“When it comes to my mom and special occasions, mostly just comply or die.”

“Exactly.” Jess nodded, pouring his wife a coffee. “So, I saw a certain Jolly Green Giant packing boxes into the back of his truck on my way in.”

“Rumour has it they’re out of here pretty much the second school lets out,” Rory told him, pulling herself up onto a stool. “I’m not sorry this chapter of our lives is over, and for good with a little luck.”

“Jack seems pretty unphased,” her husband assured her. “This Becca girl is the decent type from what I hear.”

“Oh yeah, and believe me, I checked. A lot,” Rory confirmed. “Babette said her grandma used to live down the street from her and was one of the nicest neighbours she ever had, next to me and Mom obviously,” she said with a smile. “Her parents are divorced, but no dirt to be had, it just didn’t work out is all. Miss Patty says Becca was a beautiful dancer and a joy to have in her class until she hit puberty, then the height thing happened and little Becca got all kinds of self-conscious, so she gave up any activity that involved people staring at her. Even Taylor stopped me in the street to tell me he was glad to see Jack with such a nice girl.”

“You can’t always trust Taylor’s opinion,” said Jess with a look.

“Hey, c’mon, a lot of people were wrong about you, not just Taylor,” she reminded him. “And you didn’t exactly go out of your way to endear people to you when you first moved here.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jess shook his head, winking at her as he headed off to take orders.

Rory laughed at his gall and took a long drink from her cup. Turning to look out of the window, she saw Martha and Alex walking to school hand-in-hand, with Davey trailing behind talking on his cell. Rory would lay money he was chatting to Bernice Farber and it made her smile. As if their family tree wasn't twisted up enough already, and yet, they made a very cute couple for the brief time they were in each other’s company.

Kwan and Steve were walking in with Doula and Jaime, plus some other kids that Rory recognised. Everybody looked happy, settled. Sure, some of the joy was knowing they were all getting out of school today for twelve weeks of Summer fun, but they were usually happy kids anyway. Stars Hollow was that kind of town, and Rory had never been sorry that she and Jess returned from New Haven all those years ago. It was the right choice. This was the only place to raise their family.

“You want breakfast?” asked Jess as he returned to her then.

“I think I feel like eggs and bacon, with pancakes, and maybe a muffin,” she considered. “Also, more coffee, please?”

Jess leaned over the counter again to kiss her long and hard on the mouth.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?” she asked breathlessly.

“Because.” He shrugged. “I’ll get you that breakfast.”

* * *

The school day passed relatively uneventfully. The final bell rang at three and there was a mad scramble as way too many people tried to get out of too few doors as quickly as possible. Jack was towards the back of the crush and fine with being so. It had been a hell of a year all in all, and he really wasn't sure if he was sorry or glad it was over now.

Giving his locker a final check, he ran across Alex and Martha kissing each other goodbye for now. They both said they would see him soon as they parted company and Jack waved as they walked away. Slamming the door shut on his now empty locker, Jack hefted his book bag higher on his shoulder and walked off down the hallway. Come September he would be a Senior and then college beckoned. It was weird how fast time seemed to be going by lately, but for now he figured it was no use dwelling on it. Time to enjoy the Summer just as much as he could.

It was a surprise to find someone waiting for him when he got outside the front door. She had been sitting on the edge of the wall until she saw him then got to her feet and came to stand directly in his path. It was strange how she looked different now, just as beautiful in a lot of ways, but without the ethereal light that seemed to surround her the first time he saw her. She was a pale imitation of the girl that had lived in his head too long. Jack wondered if she had ever been all that he wanted to her to be. He suspected not.

“Hey Jack,” she said as he reached her.

“Alison,” he replied, nodding once. “I hear you’re leaving today.”

“Within the hour,” she confirmed with a sigh, hugging her books to her chest. “Feels weird. I mean, we were only here a few months, but going back home... I don’t know, it’ll be so strange.”

“Stars Hollow has a way of making itself your home, whether you want it to or not,” Jack told her knowingly. “Anyway...”

He moved to go past her. Alison’s hand on his arm stopped him.

“I wanted you to know that... that I’m sorry, for everything,” she told him then. “The last couple of months, all the drama with my family and everything, it made me see things a lot clearer. What I did to you, it was pretty bad.”

“It was,” Jack agreed. “But I got over it.”

“I’m glad.” Alison nodded. “Jack, you’re a sweet guy. Some girl is going to be really lucky to be with you. Who knows? In another world, it could’ve been me,” she said with a shaky smile.

“I don’t think you and I would ever have worked out, Alison,” he told her. “Even if we both really wanted it to. Sometimes you just gotta accept it's not meant to be.”

“You do believe I’m sorry, don’t you?” she checked, swallowing hard. “You forgive me?”

She meant it. Jack had been fooled by her lies before but this was different. Alison had been through a lot recently and he did believe it had taught her a lesson, about herself more than anything else. It didn't take back the hurt she caused or make Jack want to love her like he did before, but he didn’t feel the need to try to hate her anymore either.

“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them,” he muttered, looking at her one last time. “I believe you, Alison, but it’s way too late. Go home, stay there. Please,” he urged her, pulling his arm from her grip at last and turning to walking away.

He didn’t look back. She didn’t expect him to.


	46. Chapter 46

“Turns out high school is actually pretty cool. Sometimes I forget that I skipped a grade. It just feels normal now, to be in classes with Kwan, Steve, Jaime, and Billy. Of course, Dad is not letting me forget that I’m not even fifteen yet, especially when it comes to Dax. Speaking of, he’s supposed to be home in a couple of days. I can hardly believe it’s more than a month since he went away. I mean, I missed him, of course I did, but there’s been so much going on this Summer, it’s hard to be really sad about his not being here, except for the fact that he’s missing out on all the fun that I’ve been having. Mom says it’s cool because we’ll have plenty to talk about when he gets home. I guess she’s right.

What else? Well, Martha and Alex are still pretty solid. Last week they went on a double date with Jack and Becca, another pairing that is going really, really well. It’s awesome to see him so happy after all that stuff with Alison Forester. Nobody misses her or her parents, that’s for sure. Billy and Tara have been spending a lot of time together too - practically joined at the hip, or more accurately the lips. It’s nice though, that everybody is so happy. Doula had her week in NYC and has pretty much talked about nothing else since. She says that when she gets done with school she really wants to move to the city just as fast as possible. Dad is a little nervous about what will happen to her if she does, but D is way more grounded now than she ever was before. Kwan helps with that, which is a little crazy when you consider how over the top he can be sometimes.

Steve had a great time at Bible Camp. Aunt Lane says he did amazing things there and I don’t doubt it. He really wants to help people and do God’s work, and I think that’s great. As for me, I really don’t know what my future is going to hold. I meant what I said before about doing something with this whole poet/lyricist thing, but that’s really hard to make a career out of that actually pays. I figure I’ll study hard in school, maybe major in English in college and see where life takes me. I don’t have to have everything figured out right now, at least that’s what Dad says. He’s proud of me no matter what. They all are, which is pretty cool.

Y’know I was thinking the other day about something you said to me years ago, you said ‘Victoria, bella, life is for living, and it is too short to waste’. Even though I knew from the way you said it that it was important for me to remember, I don’t think I really understood it until now. Maybe I just reached an age where it makes sense. Maybe it’s all the drama the family has been through lately, I don’t know, but I get it now. You lived more than ninety years, you experienced true love, even if it didn’t last long, and you ended up surrounded by so many family and friends. You were the life and soul right to the end, Mrs R, and that makes you a really great example to live by. I have all these great role models, so many amazing chances in my life, and I feel like I’ve spent way too much time sweating the small stuff, thinking too hard about things I can’t control or that don’t really matter. From here on out, I just wanna live. I wanna throw myself into everything, follow my instincts, enjoy every moment with each person while I have the chance. 

I guess what I’m saying is, I might not be around to talk as much in the future, and that’s not because I don’t love you or because I don’t want you to know what’s going on with us, but I know you can see anything you want from where you are anwyay. You don’t need the colour commentary, and I should really be living my life instead of sitting around recounting it like this. I know if you were here, that’s what you’d be telling me.”

Tori Mariano levered herself up off the ground, not looking to the headstone she had been sitting by now but up towards the Heavens where Mrs Rossini really was. Kissing her hand, she blew that kiss up into the sky, and then she smiled.

“Hey, Toria,” said Jack as he approached her then. “You okay?”

“Better than okay,” she told her brother happily. “You?”

“Yeah, I’m cool,” he promised. “Everybody is in the town square for the Summer Festival. Mom was a little freaked that you weren’t around. She knows how much you love this crazy thing.”

“Junk food, carnival games, and ridiculously repetitive songs. What’s not to love?”

“Good point.” Jack laughed and slung an arm around her shoulders as they walked into town together. “I’m guessing some of the happy is coming from the fact your boyfriend will be back in a couple of days?”

“It does not make me unhappy to know Dax will be home soon,” Tori confessed. “But he’s not my only reason for smiling. It’s Summer, we’ve got a family and friends that love us, the town is having a crazy shindig, and we get the chance to enjoy it all. I repeat, what’s not to love?”

Jack would’ve called her sappy or made some sarcastic comment, but quite honestly, he didn’t care to. Tori was right, they were really lucky, and right now, life was pretty damn good. As they arrived in the town square, he looked around at all the fun and hilarity playing out under the bright blue sky. It wasn’t always so idyllic and joyful, not even in a happy little town like Stars Hollow. These past six months had their fair share of drama for almost everyone at various times, but for now, all was good.

“Hey, there you are!” said Rory as she came over to hug her children.

She grabbed them with such enthusiasm she nearly knocked them flying.

“Wow, Mom,” Tori gasped, hugging her back. “We love you too,” she confirmed, as she was squeezed within an inch of her life and kissed all over her cheek for good measure.

“Seriously, Ror, let ‘em breathe,” Jess urged her, arriving on the scene just in the nick. “Here, drink your coffee,” he said, encouraging the paper cup into her hand.

Jack looked questioningly at his father. “Miss Patty’s punch?”

“How’d you guess?” said Jess, rolling his eyes. “She’ll be fine. She’s just very, very happy.”

“Seems to be contagious today,” said Jack, glancing at Tori.

Jess looked concerned. “If I find out you’ve been near the punch bowl...”

“Not a chance, Dad. I promise,” his daughter swore to him.

Her cell started ringing in her pocket then and she made a grab for it, grinning all the wider when she saw who was calling.

“Hey, Dax,” she said as she wandered away, smiling wider than ever.

“I said I’d meet Becca at the pretzel stand,” said Jack then. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“They both look so happy,” said Rory with a sigh. “I love our kids.”

“They’re not bad,” Jess dead-panned, pulling her into his arms. “Drink your coffee.”

“Yes, sir,” she agreed, gulping some more down fast. “Did I mention I also love you? A lot.”

“I got that impression.” Jess smirked, pushing her hair back off her face for her. “When you’re done with that coffee, I’ll get you another. Maybe next year we can keep you out of Miss Patty’s punch ‘til later in the afternoon.”

“Don’t you say that every year?”

“Never works, does it?”

“Not so much. It just tastes so good!”

He laughed at her enthusiasm that was hard not to find amusing and didn’t mind at all when she leaned in to kiss his lips. She tasted more of coffee than the punch anymore, but that was okay.

“I always have the best time at these things,” she said, looking around at all her family and friends having fun. “It’s so great to have everybody together, enjoying the Summer.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” he agreed, as if it pained him to do so.

Rory didn’t mind. Jess was never going to be enthusiastic about town events, but she knew he loved being here really. He was happy when everybody he loved was happy, same as her. It had been a heck of a six months, but finally things seemed settled and good.

Walking back into the frenzy of overly happy people with their arms around each other, Rory and Jess heard Billy calling for the attention of the other kids.

“C’mon, now I finally figured this out I wanna try it out,” he told them, as the teens assembled together.

“Figured what out?” asked Rory curiously.

“Billy has been obsessing over all the functions on his new cell,” Doula told her, rolling her eyes. “It’s taken more than two months, but he thinks he finally knows how to make the panoramic thing work.”

“The one that he used to give Babette’s cat fourteen legs the other day?” said Jess with a smirk.

“That’ll be it," his sister confirmed. “So expect us all to have three heads each when we get done here.”

“Come on, D!” Martha called to her. “Get in here.”

Steve ran off to find Jack and Becca, as Billy lined all the other kids up in front of the gazebo for his epic picture. Tara was by his side, assisting with composing the best shot, when suddenly she had a thought.

“Hey, if you take the picture, you won’t be in it,” she noted. “Let me do it.”

“Then you won’t be in it,” he told her.

“That’s okay. It can be like a family portrait.”

“Well, then I have to go get my parents.”

“How about a portrait of just you guys. All the kids together?” Rory suggested.

Billy considered that a moment, as Doula called for him to hurry up already before they all stopped being kids and started drawing social security.

“Hey, Billy, just give me the cell, then you can all be in your picture,” Jess insisted. “Which button?”

Billy showed him how it worked and then grabbed Tara’s hand and went and got into the scene. Rory and Jess stood and watched in amusement as Billy and Tara were ordered into the line between Jack and Becca, and Kwan and Doula. Steve and Alex bunched in with Martha, who dragged Davey and Jaime into the shot. It was only then they all realised they were missing Tori.

“Hey, guys!” she yelled happily as she appeared, dragging Dax by the hand behind her. “Are we missing something?”

“I thought you weren’t getting back for a couple of days?” said Jack to Dax, stepping out of the group ready for the picture.

“I wanted to surprise, Tori,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “It worked.”

“I’ll say,” she agreed, happily grinning. “And apparently you made it just in time for a picture.”

They were soon being dragged into the scene and everyone reordered so they fit a little better.

“Looks good,” said Jess, telling them all to get ready as he aimed the camera lens at them.

“It really does,” said Rory, smiling fondly, as the assembled kids smiled and cheered whilst Jess panned by them with Billy’s cell and took the picture.

“That’s it,” he said when he was done. “Stars Hollow, the Next Generation.”


End file.
